Mobile Suit Gundam: As Dawn Breaks
by Vanguarde
Summary: Kira and Kallen are together on a Pirate Airship when they discover Lacus is being taken by the Russian government, most likely to be killed. Kira decides to save Lacus and abandons his plan for a peaceful life in order to stop Akira and Zero... GSXCGAU
1. A Beginning

Mobile Suit Gundam:

As Dawn Breaks

Prologue

The Kingdom of Avalon was a peacful country. The people loved and adored their King, Siegel Clyne, who was fair and just. He cared for the people and called for peace. The kingdom was centered in England and branched out as far as Germany and other neighboring states. It stood as a world power, toe to toe with ORB, the United States of America, the Kingdom of Russia and the Chinese Union of Divine Power.

While space was being colonized by the different powers, it was still young and considered a frontier. Outposts designated certain areas of space as their own. The space race created a general cease fire and people kept their attention on building and edifying. Some created innovative and constructive deivces and machines; others had a darker purpose in mind.

Of course all of this was far from the pink haired teenager's mind. Lacus Clyne, the first princess of the Kingdom, wanted nothing to do with History or world events at the moment. She focused her attention on the garden in front of her, and the boy next to her. She blushed as she thought about her Knight. Athrun Zala was given the privilege to be Lacus' knight, having the duty to protect her with his life. He was handsome, kind, intelligent and strong willed. Her crystal blue eyes gazed deeply into his emerald ones, which were focused on the sky above. His hair was a dark blue and came a little past his chin in length. He was tall and slim, yet sinewy. His light skin shone brightly in the sun's warm rays. He was gorgeous to her and she had developed deep feelings for him, not only because he was easy on the eyes, but because he was a good person as well.

"What are you thinking Lacus?" Athrun smiled sweetly as he looked over to her, having caught her staring at him. He then proceeded in studying her. Lacus was perhaps the most beautiful girl in the Kingdom. She had long Pink flowing hair that reched down past her waist. A simple butterfly clip held her bangs out of her eyes. She was shorter than Athrun, and her crystal blue eyes met around his mouth. Her skin was fair but still had a nice amount of color to it. And, well, no one could beat her petite form.

Lacus instantly blushed a deep scarlet having realized she was found out and even more so because he was staring back at her. She managed a stutter, "I- I was just thinking about how long we've known eachother! You've been such a great friend to me!"

Athrun smiled again, "Thank you Princess. That's sweet of you to say."

Lacus felt her color returning to normal, "So Athrun?"

"Yes, your Highness?"

"Have you ever thought of marriage?"

It was now Athrun's turn to blush furiously,"I- Uh-, well about that... I... no. Not really."

Lacus frowned. It wasn't what she had hoped to hear. "Well, you are a Duke's son... that makes you nobility."

Athrun gulped, his adam's apple bobbing up and down. He changed subject, "You know, I'm sure that Lady Murrue is upset that you keep avoiding her class."

Lacus frowned again, "Well, I dislike learning about history and current events... it's all so... sad. Besides," a grin stealing across her face, "I'm sure Lady Murrue doesn't appreciate my Knight and her student, Sir Athrun Zala, helping me to ditch her class."

Athrun was trapped and he knew it. He gulped again. Then the two teenagers fell into silence and both looked to the sky. After a few minutes of just sitting in silence Lacus stood and stretched her arms out skyward, taking in a deep breath and letting it out in a great gasp. "Athrun! I love the sky... It's so peaceful! So open and bright! I hope it always stay like this!" She giggled and started to skip along the pathway of the garden.

Athrun followed her with his eyes. He let out a breath, "I hope so too... Lady Lacus."

* * *

As the two teenagers returned they were met by Lacus' twin sister Meer. Unlike Lacus, Meer was more loud and didn't get embarrassed easily. Her form was more... how could Athrun describe it? Voluptuous. Her style of clothing... Less modest. Athrun couldn't say he dislike Meer, they were friends and she could be very sweet, but, she wasn't Lacus.

Meer glared at the two as she saw them returning from the garden, "There you are! I can't believe you both left me there!!! I mean gosh! I was all alone in some dingy old classroom with Lady Murrue ranting on about how you two weren't in class!!!"

Lacus gave a sheepish look, "I'm sorry sis, you know how much I dislike being in confined spaces."

Meer grinned evilly, "Yeah the only exception is when Atrhun is with you!"

Lacus turned scarlett again, "That's not true!!! Do not say such rude things sister! You know Athrun and I are not like that!"

Meer kept up her evil tactic, grinning madly, "Oh ho ho! If that's the case then I'm a toad!"

Athrun got tired of the foray quickly, "Your Highness Meer, you must realize that as Lady Lacus' knight it would be improper for such a relationship, now if you'll excuse me I have business to attend to."

With that Athrun left bowing to Lady Lacus as he left. Lacus frowned as she watched him walk away..._Athrun..._

Lacus then pouted as she turned to Meer who had looked as if she had been slapped. As Lacus walked past Meer she whispered, "I hope you're happy sister..."

Meer turned a beet red, "This isn't my fault!"

As Lacus walked away without saying anything more, Meer felt very sad that she had done what she had.

* * *

"Your Majesty, I don't think you understand the situation clearly... This threat could be very real! We have heard that this man named Akira is very dangerous. He controls what is called the Shadow Legion! The infamous terrorist group!"

Siegel Clyne sat across the table from his advisors. Sir Liam was had just shown him a message that was sent; it was a threat on his life and his kingdom. Siegel simply gazed across the table. "Do we have any intelligence on any hostile movements, in or outside the country?"

Sir Liam gulped, "Well, no, but we should at least treat this threat seriously! Your life may be in danger!"

Clyne simply turned to his Knight, Mwu La Flagga,"Sir La Flagga, please look into the matter and strenghten security around the palace, I do not want my daughters harmed." He then turned to his other Knight Andrew Waltfeld, "Please, Sir Waltfeld, I would like you to strengthen national security. Just make sure the boys and girls are not falling asleep at their posts."

Andrew seemed less enthused about his assignment, "Yes, sire."

After the two knights left the room Clyne turned to the rest of his advisors, "I will not back down from this and the Peace Convention will continue."

There was a silence in the room as the advisors all understood, though some had their own misgivings.

* * *

After the advisors had left, Siegel Clyne sat alone in his room. He picked up the picture of his first Queen, Lady Rose Vallian...

_Why did you have to pass away... I promised I would take care of the girls... but it's been so hard by myself. I have to worry about terrorists, occupations for my citizens, my daughters' welfare... Oh Rose... If only you were still here. You always gave me the comfort I needed. I know the Peace convention is the right thing to do. It is the only way to stop the wars that keep cropping up on our borders. Countries being swallowed by the Russians, or falling under the Chinese Emperess... Our borders may be in danger soon... this Convention should stop the fighting and create balance on this continent... Oh Rose..._

* * *

Athrun was walking about the Capital when he spotted someone he had not expected to see, "Hey, Kira!"

Kira Yamato was Athrun's bestfriend though they had not seen eachother in three years, since Athrun had left to become a Knight. Kira had brown hair that was styled short, but his bangs were long and got in his eyes some times. His amethyst color eyes lit up as he turned and saw Athrun; he could tell that Kira was just as suprised to see him as he was to see Kira. Kira was about the same height and build as Athrun except Kira had a light tan color to his skin. Kira was more withdrawn and shy, yet intellgent and kind.

"Athrun!" Kira smiled as he made his way quickly to his long lost friend, "What are you doing here?"

Athrun chuckled, "I live here you goofball! The question is what are you doing here?"

Kira smiled, "I'm here on a field trip. My class is doing a research study so we were all going to go to the Labratory they have here in the capital."

"Kira! Where are you!"

Kira turned, "I'm over here guys! Come over here! I want you to meet someone!"

A group of teenagers emerged. They were Kira's classmates, Sai, Tolle, Mirriallia, and Fllay. Sai had short blond hair and always wore cool sunglasses, Tolle had curly brown hair and dark eyes. Mirriallia had orange hair with freckles and blue eyes. Fllay was a red head and also the most popular girl at Kira's school; she had a thing for Sai.

Kira introduced his friends to Athrun and vice versa.

"Whoah! So cool!" Exclaimed Tolle, "You're a real knight! Does that mean you know how to pilot a mobile suit?!"

Athrun smiled, "I sure do. I pilot a Zaku Warrior."

Sai stepped in, "Oh, the new mobile suit that came out recently. Impressive."

Athrun just smiled. Kira was just standing and taking in his surroundings. _Who would have thought I would run into Athrun here... It's been so long. _

Kira's thoughts were interrupted by his mechanical bird named, 'Birdy', as it flew and landed on Kira's shoulder. It chirped, "Birdie"

Athrun smiled, "You still have it huh?"

Kira smiled, "Yep."

Birdie had been a gift to Kira from Athrun. Athrun had made it for him.

The others started to feel uneasy with the silence between the two old friends so Mirriallia jumped in, "Hey Kira! The class is leaving soon! We should get back!"

"Oh! Yeah I guess we have to."

Athrun and Kira had not been uncomfortable with the silence. It had been so long and their friendship was very strong. It felt... right to be with eachother again. Athrun smiled, "Maybe I'll see you around Kira. We should hang out some time."

"Yeah! That would be great!"

"Good it's a promise then."

"Right!"

Sai and Fllay walked back to the class. Miriallia and Tolle stayed behind a little longer, "Okay, well hurry up Kira! You don't want to be left behind."

"I'll be right there."

Athrun was still smiling, "It was good seeing you again. Say hi to Cagalli for me later, won't you?"

Cagalli was Kira's forternal twin sister, "Of course I will. We have tomorrow to check out the town on our own. Can you hang out then?"

Athrun remembered how he had duties and class tomorrow, but shrugged it aside, "Of course. At least for a little while anyways."

Kira smiled, "Great! I'll meet you here at..."

"How's two o' clock sound?"

Kira's smile turned into a grin, "Sounds great. I've got to go!" He started to run away but then turned for a moment, "Good to see you Athrun!"

Athrun waved after him, "I'll see you tomorrow!"

And with that the brunette ran off and disappeared in the crowd.


	2. Old Friends

**Chapter I**

**Old Friends**

From her balcony Lacus could spot Athrun walking towards town. It was one-fifty in the afternoon and he had normal clothes on. Classes had just ended and she had gone upstairs to get changed. She had wanted to spend the day with Athrun but he said he had other plans. He asked her for permission to leave for a few hours so he could go to Capital City. Her curiosity was piqued and she wanted to know what he was up to. So, she got dressed in commoner clothes as well, disguising herself with a pink hood and left the castle.

Lacus clandestinely followed Athrun through the throngs of people. The streets were alive! The people were excited for the Peace convention that would follow in the next few days. It was hard to follow Athrun when all these people were pushing her too and fro.

"Excuse me! Pardon me! Ouch, I'm sorry!" Lacus exclaimed while navigating through the wall of people.

Eventually Lacus was able to break free and found Athrun stading and talking to a brown haired boy. She hid behind a wall that was close by and did her best to overhear there conversation. _Who is that boy?_

"So how do you like the capital, Kira."

"It's great! The city is so alive! It's amazing, everything that's here. But..." Kira's face drew into a frown as he turned his face to the ground, "I don't understand why the Kingdom is making new weapons at the lab if the Peace Convention is supposed to stop the fighting."

Athrun frowned as well, "Well... sometimes it's good to be prepared. To fight to protect. Otherwise, we leave ourselves open to the enemy."

Kira grimaced, "I guess..."

Athrun felt a tinge of sadness creep over him but brushed it aside. He wasn't going to let anything ruin his reunion with his best friend, "Come on, let's stop thinking about it. How about we go to the arcade, or maybe go get something to eat!"

Kira brightened up, "Okay, some games would be fun, and I'm starving!"

The two friends laughed as Kira's stomach gave a loud growl. "Come on," Athrun offered, "Otherwise that stomach of yours is going to get angry." both the friends laughed and Kira followed Athrun. Kira asked something about where they were going, but Lacus couldn't hear them after that.

"Whatcha doin'?"

Lacus just about jumped out of her skin as her classmate, Shirley Fenette, came up behind her. Shirley was a pretty girl who was... well endowed, to say the least, and skinny as a rail. Her orange hair shined brightly, as did her light green eyes. "Lady Lacus? What are you doing outside the castle walls?" Shirley looked around," And without an escort?"

Lacus put a finger to her lips and covered Shirley's mouth, "Please, Shirley! You're going to give me away!" She had whisphered but it came out a little heated.

Shirley was dumbfounded but allowed herself to be taken away by Lacus.

* * *

"No way! Kira! How did you beat me?"

Kira smiled as he got out of his seat of the arcade game. "It's just a game, I'm sure in real fight you'd cream me, Athrun."

Athrun wasn't too sure about that. They had just played an arcade game that simulated Mobile Suit fighting. At first Kira didn't want to play as it reminded him too much of real war, but then there was a bully who was pushing others around just because he was really good at the game. Kira had challenged him to a battle and defeated him soundly. Kira was so good, that Athrun wanted to test him in a simulation as well. They both had been piloting Zaku Warriors in the game. Athrun was defeating Kira at first but then Kira slowly pulled ahead and then defeated him.

A large crowd had gathered and were now buzzing with excitement and disappointment. "Wow, who is that guy?"

"Isn't that other one, Princess Lacus' knight?"

"You mean Athrun Zala?"

"Whoah, that new kid beat Sir Athrun?"

"I bet Athrun just went easy on him."

People continued to talk as Kira looked over at Athrun apologetically, and mouthed, "Maybe we should go."

Athrun nodded and the two made their way out of the crowd. As the two boys left the arcade and the sunlight blinded them, Athrun turned to Kira, "Kira, that was really good. Have you ever thought of becoming a pilot? I could put in a good word for you."

Kira frowned, "Can we just forget about it Athrun? I don't want to fight, besides, real fighting is different from that simulation game, I'm sure."

Athrun saw the depressed look on Kira's face and was immediately apologetic, "I'm sorry Kira I won't bring it up again... I-"

"Athrun!" a familiar female voice called out.

Athrun turned and saw a hooded Lacus and his classmate Shirley. Athrun balked, "Princess? What are you doing here?" he ran up beside the two girls, "Don't you know it's dangerous for you to be out without an escort?"

Lacus giggled, "But I do have an escort Athrun, you're standing right in front of me."

Athrun just stared and then turned and pleaded with Shirley's eyes. She simply smiled, "She's got you there Athrun."

Athrun turned to Kira, "Help me out!"

Kira smiled, "Well, her majesty can do pretty much whatever she likes."

Athrun smacked his forehead, "You too! Gah!"

Everyone around Athrun laughed at that. After the laughter subsided, Lacus spoke, "So now that my Knight is here we can all travel together! Sound good?"

Shirley beamed, "Let's go shopping!"

Kira smiled, "Sure; why not?"

Athrun tried to be tough on Lacus, but eventually gave in, "Very well. Lead the way your Majesty."

"First aren't you going to introduce us?" Lacus asked playfully.

Athrun stood smartly, "Oh of course, erhm, Lady Lacus this is Kira Yamato, an old friend of mine. Kira, this is her majesty, Princess Lacus Clyne and a friend of ours Lady Shirley Fenette."

Lacus giggled, "Athrun is always so formal, you may call me Lacus. It's nice to meet you."

Shirley smiled too, "Yeah and just call me Shirley!"

Kira bowed to both of them, "It's an honor to meet you both."

Lacus shook her head at Kira's formality but was smiling all the same, "Okay, well like Shirley said, let's go shopping! It'll be fun to try out some new clothes! Then you boys could tell us what you think!"

Athrun bowed his head in despair, "This won't turn out well." He whispered.

* * *

"How do I look Athrun?" Lacus giggled.

Athrun just stared, she was wearing a pink dress that was flowing and of a sheer material. It had some sparkles in it and it pronounced her breasts a little too much due to the low cut and because it was strapless, but she looked amazing through and through. Athrun gulped, "You look... phenomenal your Majesty."

Kira also was taken in by the Princess before her. She did one twirl and smiled, "I'm so happy you like it, Athrun."

Shirley then went on and talked to Lacus about how beautiful the dress was and the boys couldn't understand the girls' conversation. Where boys had only one word to describe it, apparently the girls had fourteen hundred.

Athrun and Kira were left alone as the girls returned to the changing rooms. Athrun was deep in thought when Kira broke in, "So what do you think of Lacus?"

Athrun turned away, "I... She's a princess and I'm her knight. That's how our relationship is."

Kira frowned, "Oh, okay."

Athrun turned and smiled at his childhood friend, "So how's... Cagalli?"

Kira's frown lifted into a weak smile, "She's good." he paused thinking of what to say, "She misses you, ya know."

Athrun felt a pain well up in his heart. Cagalli and him had been very close. They had developed strong feelings toward one another and even promised to marry eachother someday. Then Athrun's father was given the rank of nobility in the Kingdom. Athrun left ORB for that reason and became a knight, leaving behind his friend Kira... and even more painful... he left Cagalli. He recently heard that Cagalli had become engaged to someone else for political reasons. That was around the time Athrun put his feelings for her to rest.

"I'm sure she's fine."

Kira felt a twinge of pain for his sister but could understand his friend's hurt as well, "Yeah, I'll tell her you said hi."

Athrun smiled, "Thanks..."

The two friends sat in silence again. The girls came out with clothes they had decided to purchase. Of course the boys ended up carrying everything. Athrun smiled at Kira over the vast amount of boxes each were holding, "I told you this wouldn't turn out well."

"What was that, Athrun?" Lacus asked.

"I- said I'm glad this turned out so well!"

Everyone laughed at Athrun's save.

As the teenagers left the shopping district, the sun began to set on the hills. All of them had chosen to rest on a bench on the side of the road that led up to the castle. Kira sat next to Athrun, and Lacus was on Athrun's other side. Shirley sat near Lacus.

"So what are you up to nowadays Kira?" Athrun asked.

"Oh, well I'm a student at ORB University. I'm training to become an engineer and computer analyst. I also program Operating systems."

Lacus and Shirley were in awe. "That's so cool Kira!" Shirley broke out, "At least you know what you want to do. Lelouch just wastes his talents away!"

"Who's Lelouch?" Kira asked.

Lacus answered before Shirley, "He is the Student Body Vice President. He is really smart but he doesn't apply himself to anything. He always ditches class."

Athrun chuckled, "It seems that's a common occurence in royalty."

Lacus punched his arm playfully, "Watch it Mr. Zala!"

Everyone broke into laughter. Kira looked out over the city and at the sunset. It was dusk... The day had been great and had been a lot of fun, between catching up with Athrun and spending the rest of the day with the girls. _Do these peaceful times really have to end? Why can't they just stay this way forever? I guess change is the only thing that is constant... _

* * *

Kira and Athrun stood outside the palace walls; Lacus and Shirley had already entered after saying goodbye to Kira. It was now night time and the moon was full, allowing Kira and Athrun better vision, despite the lights of the castle walls.

"Well I leave tomorrow, Athrun."

Athrun sighed, "I know. It was good seeing you again, Kira."

"It was good seeing you too."

"So, say hello to everyone back home for me. Tell them I'm doing great."

"I'd say so. You're knight to the first princess and you have a great setup here."

"I should have let mother see you again."

Kira shook his head, "I'ts okay, just tell her I said hi."

Athrun smiled, "I will."

The two stood in silence, both not wanting it to end. There were so many good memories they shared...

Kira wiped away a single tear that had formed in his eye, "Well... So long Athrun. I'll write you often."

Athrun choked on his emotions, not wanting to cry, "Yeah... Me too."

The two friends shook hands and got a hold of their emotions. The two had known eachother since they were three. Now both at the age of 18, the two had become like brothers.

"I'll see you 'round, Athrun."

"Yeah, see you around... Kira."

With that they let go of eachother's hands and Kira turned and walked off, down the hill and before he was out of sight, he turned and saw Athrun watching him go. He waved goodbye and disappeared into the night.

Athrun watched until his good friend was enveloped in the darkness, "Goodbye Kira... Till we meet again."

* * *

Kira took the long walk and admired the city and the nightlife. He eventually found his way to the hotel, and just in the nick of time because huge storm clouds had gathered and, out of nowhere, rain started to descend on the white city.

Kira shook his head so that what little water had gotten on him, quickly sprayed around him. He heard a ruckus upstairs and decided to check it out. He found that it was coming from his class' floor.

He continued on and found the noise coming from Sai's room. It was Fllay's voice. She was screaming and crying. Their teacher, Professor Ogi, was standing at the door trying to get inside. A crowd had gathered and Kira spyed Miriallia standing on the edge of it. She spotted him and beckoned for him to come, "Kira!"

As Kira approached he asked, "What's going on Miriallia?"

"Fllay's dad was killed not too long ago. It was on the news. He was shot."

Kira gasped, "What?" Fllay's father was an ambassador for ORB. He had visited the The Chinese Union of Divine Power recently; he guessed that he was assasinated, "By who?"

Mirriallia's face was grave, "It seems it was some zealot in the Chinese Empire that didn't want peace. Fllay just found out because it was on the news. She left our room in hysteria and went over to Sai's room. Professor Ogi is trying to create some measure of order but I don't think he realizes what happened."

"Come on." Kira said grabbing Mirriallia's wrist, "Lets get in there."

Kira pushed his way through the crowd of students and to Professor Ogi. Miriallia explained to the professor what happened. Kira meanwhile opened the door with the card key he had; after all he was staying with Tolle and Sai.

Fllay was there in Sai's arms crying. Tolle looked apologetic. Ogi sighed... at least it wasn't what he thought it was.

Kira looked down at Fllay and Sai. He felt so horrible... he wished that horrible things like this wouldn't continue to hurt everyone's lives. _How could this happen three days before the Peace convention? _

Kira walked over to try to comfort his friends but at that moment something happened... All the power across the whole city went out. Everything plunged into darkness and people started to scream. a flash of lightning painted the ominous sky and a silhouette shone against the grey background... It was huge. Kira's heart almost stopped. He gazed out across the city through his window, as two more flashes of lighting jolted across the sky, he saw dots descending from the Huge object towards the castle.

The Capital was under attack...

* * *

_**Author's note:**_ First of all, I must disclaim in some piece of my work that I do not own Gundam Seed or Gode Geass and this is merely a work of fiction that I thought up one day. Any OC that I create are mine however and if you'd like to suggest your own Original Character to be added in to the story, please just leave a message and we'll talk. Your OC will be owned by you and, naturally, you'll get the credit.

Okay now that that is out of the way, I'd like to thank **whitney-y-animefan** for the review! I'm glad you think it's interesting and I do plan on continuing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

Please review! If you have any suggestions let me know and I'll take it into consideration!

Next Chapter: _**As Night Falls**_


	3. As Night Falls

Chapter II

As Night Falls

As soon as the lights went out, Athrun's instincts told him that they were under attack. A loud rumbling could be heard outside now and he made all haste to get to Lady Lacus. As he opened the door to Lacus' room he could here Shirley and Meer. They were both scared and Lacus was doing her best in a calm gentle voice to soothe them.

Athrun came in, "Your Majesty, allow me to escort you to safety!"

Lacus turned round to face him, smiling, "Athrun! I knew you'd come!"

Meer and Shirley were also very relieved at his coming. Shirley gulped, "What's happening Athrun?"

Athrun pulled Lacus in front of him while the two girls fumbled in the dark and caught hold on Lacus as well. "I don't know yet. Hold hands and don't let go of eachother. I'll direct us to safety!"

As Athrun was starting to lead the girls out, a large explosion from outside shattered the glass and a gust of wind pushed all of them to the ground. Athrun grabbed Lacus' hand and brought both of them up again in one swift movement. As he looked back to the window he froze. A mobile suit, a Djinn, was standing right in front of the window, but it's coloring wasn't that of the Kingdom's military. It was the Shadow Legion.

Athrun pulled Lacus behind him as the metal behemoth outside raised his linear rifle. It was trained on the room, or more like the people therein, but just as the pilot inside was about to push the trigger a green beam destroyed the Djinns gun; of course, this explosion sent the four teenagers sprawling again. A second emerald blast shot the legs of the Djinn and it tumbled to the ground in a slump. A White Zaku, with Orange details, came into the opening and a voice came on over the speakers, "Lady Meer! Are you all right?!"

Meer sat up, "Suzaku!? Is that you?"

Suzaku Kururugi was Meer's knight. He had short wavy brown hair, green eyes and was very handsome. He had a strong sense of justice and believed firmly in Siegel Clyne's vision for Peace. "I'm so glad you are unharmed princess!"

Athrun sat up, "Kururugi that was stupid of you! The blast from that explosion could have killed us!"

Suzaku flinched, "I- I'm very sorry." Suzaku turned around and destroyed another Djinn that had just landed nearby. He hit the enemy's cockpit and causing it to explode. He then turned back to face the others, "Shirley, Meer, you should get inside, It'll be a tight fit but it will be safer than out there."

Meer wasted no time and quickly hopped on the extended hand of the Zaku. Shirley started but turned around and looked at Lacus and Athrun, "What about you two!? It's dangerous for you!"

Lacus was going to say something but Athrun cut her off, "Don't worry, I'm bringing Lacus to the escape route and then I'll sortie in my Zaku. Go!!!"

Suzaku also pleaded with Shirley, "Please, otherwise we are sitting ducks. Trust Athrun. He'll protect Lacus."

Shirley stepped into the behemoth's hand and into the cockpit with Meer and Suzaku... It was a really tight fit and very uncomfortable... it was also somewhat embarrassing since both the girls would be touching Suzaku akwardly. Suzaku blushed, but closed the cockpit and turned his MS around, weapon at the ready. The White Zaku then left, leaving Athrun and Lacus behind. Athrun offered his hand to the Princess. She took it willingly.

As the two ran through the corridors, frightened servants ran frantically for the bunkers under the palace. They were meant to protect the civilians and inhabitants just in case something like this happened. Athrun held Lacus close to him as he made his way through the chaos. The emergency lighting made things a bit easier to move, but frantic people were also very dangerous in these situations. Athrun took a few blows for Lacus as people shoved into them, or tried to get past them. _Do they not realize that I have the Princess with me?_

Athrun and Lacus turned the corner when his blood went cold. Black Armored soldiers stood at the other side of the hallway holding SMGs. Frightened servants screamed in terror as the invaders opened fire. All Athrun was aware of was himself hitting the ground and Lacus' scream ringing in his eardrums...

* * *

Kira's heart was racing as he was running through the chaotic streets. Shots and missiles rained down upon the city and buildings were on fire, or crumbling around him. People were fleeing in terror every which way. What sickened Kira the most is when he saw innocent people mercilessly mowed down by CIWS fire from enemy mobile suits. It was murder. He had narrowly escaped that fate, saved by one of the Kingdom's mobile suits.

Kira was in a hard run, but was stopped when an explosion hit directly where he had just been. He was sent flying into the air and hit the ground hard. Kira was disoriented for a few seconds and as he lifted his head from the ground the world was swimming. He saw a black mobile suit, one of the Shadow Legion's Djinns, with a sword in it's hand. A White Mobile suit he had never seen before was attempting to fight it off, but it had no weapons. The Black Djinn swung it's colossal sword and struck the white mobile suit. It attempted to block with it's arms but fell backwards from the blow. It didn't get back up and had actually ceased moving, so the Djinn made it's way toward it's fallen advesary. It brought up it's sword to deal a coup de grace, but the white mobile suit's CIWS came alive and shot through the Djinn's cockpit. The Djinn, fell backwards and lay motionless, it's single eye shutting off.

Kira was going to run away but then a wierd sound pervaded the air and the white mobile suit turned a dull grey color. The cockpit opened and a red head girl emerged from it. She was bleeding badly on her left shoulder and some blood was on her forehead. She made an effort to get out of the machine but fell instead dropping a good thrity feet. _If she hit's the ground she's dead!_ As she fell, Kira sprinted to her and caught her, but he was forced to slide on his knee to do so. She was beautiful, having red hair that was spiked in the back. Her red head band was soaked with blood. She was unconscious. Kira checked her pulse and examined her wounds. She was alive but badly injured. She needed medical attention. He looked up at the lifeless machine he sat next to. It didn't appear to be damaged in any way and it was the quickest mode of transportation. He sighed as he decided he would pilot it, so he could get her away, whoever she was.

He picked her up and placed her behind the seat in a somewhat comfortable position. He then buckled in and closed the cockpit. As the screens turned on it read as Gundam. He looked at the energy read outs. It still had a decent amount so he decided that this female pilot was just trying to get away since her wounds were so bad. He did a quick analysis of the specs on the mobile suit.

_This is incredible! The Strike Gundam has balanced specs, but is far superior to a Zaku. It has Phase Shift armor... electronically charged alloy that will protect the craft from solid ammunition for a time. That means conventional weaponry can't harm us, but a well placed armor piercing missile or a beam shot could. Let's see, two combat knives placed on the hips and a head mounted CIWS. That should get me through until I get this girl to safety, wait, this OS is all wrong. The design might allow someone to pilot a Djinn well enough but with the improved performance specs a good pilot could be very effective in this machine. _

Kira continued his analysis, but then pulled up the on-board keyboard. He quickly rewrote the OS so it suited the surroundings and his ability as a pilot. His fingers danced across the keyboard as if he was an expert pianist. Soon afer he finished, three blips came on the Radar screen. They read as hostile. Kira growled as the warning computers turned on. He switched the Phase shift armor on and just in the knick of time as a rifle round pounded the body of the Strike. He maneuvered quickly, the boosters allowing him to leave his prone position more effeciently.

The three Djinn pilots were suprised as their seemingly lifeless target came to life. The leader of the trio smiled wickedly. He spoke to his wingmen, "All right boys, whoever destroys that white mobile suit gets dinner on me!"

One of the other pilot's snickered, "Sorry, Adam, I guess I'll get this one. I could always use the extra grub."

Adam scoffed, "You're just a black hole, Haggard. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but this one is mine!"

Adam's Djinn raised it's rifle and shot again, but wierdly enough the White mobile suit dodged to the right and boosted forward, towards Adam!

Adam cursed and attempted to jump back, but Kira had already drawn a combat knife and embedded it in the Djinn's head, destroying Adam's camera. Kira then turned and used his CIWS to destroy the Haggard's Djinn's right arm. The leader then cursed, "Damn you! Dog of Siegel Clyne!!!" The Leader's Djinn drew it's sword and brought it down on the Strike in a charge. Sparks flew as the Phase Shift armor soaked up the damage nevertheless, the Strike was sent sprawling. The Leading Djinn then made a motion and prepared itself to pierce it's sword through Kira's cockpit.

Kira could have used his CIWS, but instead kicked the sword to the side sending his opponent off balance, "What!!!" Exclaimed the suprised terrorist.

Kira then brought the Strike up to it's knee and drew out it's other combat knife. The Enemy Djinn was bringing his sword back up to swing at the Strike but Kira plunged forward, his knife digging into the enemy's cockpit. Explosions and electricity swarmed the enemy pilot's cockpit as the knife severed the man's body in half. He coughed out blood, causing it spray onto the visor of his helmet, "Damn... you..."

The Strike jumped back prior to the Djinn's explosion. Haggard watched in horror as his commanding officer was killed. He was helpless to do anything. He had used all of his CIWS ammo on those accursed locals, and now his fighting arm was destroyed. He had nothing and Adam was blind without a working camera. Haggard communicated to Adam, "Lieutenant Tyson is down."

Adam cursed, "I know! I heard!"

Kira boosted past his defeated enemies and moved away hoping to escape another confrontation. Tears filled his eyes and he let out choked sobs; _Oh God... Did I really just take a man's life? Did I even have a choice? _

That self-imposed question hung in the air as Kira navigated the Strike outside of the combat zone.

* * *

Athrun looked up to see the soldiers move on, leaving the corpses around him in a bloody carnage. Athrun couldn't feel any pain, but he did feel Lacus under his body. She was unconcious. He checked her pulse and found she was alive and she was breathing. He looked for any injuries she may have incurred, but luckily, there were only a few minor cuts and scrapes.

"Well that was lucky..." Athrun sighed, "I didn't think playing dead would work..."

He picked her up and and carried her like a bride. Anger welled up in his heart as he ran over the dead bodies of innocents. _They'll pay for this!_

Athrun was running but then quickly hugged the wall at a corner and sat Lacus down. He heard the enemy troops. Judging by the footsteps there were three, wearing a medium amount of armor. Athrun drew his pistol and breathed in deeply, then released a small sigh. He left the cover of the wall and let off a few rounds. He shot one enemy's gun out of his hands, the second bullet hit the middle soldiers neck, and the last shot caught the last guard in the buttocks. _That will smart._ Athrun then took the opportunity to make a mad dash towards the two stunned guards; seeing how the middle one had fallen. He pistol whipped the one he shot in the butt causing a loud crack on the man's helmet. He then kicked the other enemy out of the window with a loud crash. Since the last assailant was on his knees, not knowing whether to hold his aching head or his tender tush, Athrun decided to knee the man in the face, knocking him out cold.

Athrun wasn't given the title of Knight only because his father was nobility.

He then made his way back to Lacus and picked her up. She slowly came too. As the world swam around her and things became discernible she noticed Athrun was carrying her, "Athrun... what happened?"

Athrun did his best to smile, though it was hollow at best, "It's okay. We are almost out of here."

Lacus nodded and made a notion to be let down. Athrun wasn't sure, "Princess, can you walk?"

Lacus nodded more fervently, "Yes, it will be easier for you to move about and protect me if I'm not slowing you down by holding me."

Athrun put her down slowly and when they were both sure she was oriented enough they continued to move. The Royal troops were scattered and the Shadow Legion's mobile suits were decimating the battle field, even if they were outdated models. The sheer number of Djinns was suprising and Athrun could see from the window that the Royals were having a hard time.

Athrun and Lacus headed down a flight of stairs and the two finally reached their destination. There was the secret entrance in the bookcase. Athrun made sure no one was watching them, he then proceeded to touch a button on his cufflink. The passage opened and he guided Lacus inside. A second press of the button and the passage way closed.

The two fled down the staircase as tremors shook the foundation of the building. Athrun guided her down a large chrome hallway towards a circular steel door. He pressed his hand on the bioscanner on the wall and it acknowledged him, granting him access to the secret room. Inside was a cold dark room where a group of noblemen and the King himself sat around a table. They were bickering amongst themselves but Siegel raised a hand to silence them when Lacus entered. He beamed and left to her side, "Thank goodness, you are safe! Where is your sister? Where is Meer?"

Lacus went wide eyed, "You mean she's not back yet!? Last time we saw her she left with Suzaku!"

Clyne's eyes were troubled and searched out Athrun's, who in turn saluted smartly, "I'll leave right away in my Zaku to locate Suzaku, sir."

"No."

Athrun was taken aback, "Sir?"

"You won't be taking a Zaku I mean."

"Then what would you have me do, sir?" Athrun asked composing himself.

Clyne gestured for Athrun to follow him, so he fell in line, Lacus quickly in tow. The King went to a large hangar door on the far side of the room and pulled out a remote control. As he pressed a button the large steel doors slowly slid open, revealing a monolith inside. It was different than any mobile suit he had ever seen before. It was blockier than the Zaku, which had a rounded design, but it was sleek at the same time. Two large boosters that resembled wings were on it's back and the crown atop the unit's head reminded Athrun of a crane. the unit looked like a samurai, waiting for battle.

Clyne outstretched his arm and introduced Athrun to his new mobile suit, "Sir Athrun, you will pilot the Gundam Savior!"

* * *

Suzaku dodged left and right as more Djinns came to the scene. He squeezed off a few beam shots as he weaved in and out of cover. He had destroyed two Djinns and badly damaged a third. Suzaku's skills were formidable and any enemy that didn't take him seriously was easily destroyed. Alas, even with all of his efforts, his Zaku had taken a lot of damage and was at the end of it's rope. Meer was frightened behind him and Shirley seemed to be buried in her arms, trying not to look. Suzaku was breathing heavily, the combat was wearing on him.

His Zaku was at half energy and as long as he didn't take anymore hits, he would be fine. He tried to sound soothing but the weariness in his voice gave him away, "It's okay, we are almost out of this mess..."

Meer looked at the computer screen in horror as two more Djinns touched down and aimed their rifles on him. Suzaku used the Tomahawk that was in his Zaku's hand and threw it at the new enemies. It flew towards them, spinning like a frisbee, destroying the two Djinns' rifles.

Suzaku then raised his beam rifle and shot the two Djinns' cockpits. The two blew up and the colors reminded Meer of fireworks... _Why am I thinking of fireworks at a time like this?_

Suzaku turned the mobile suit around as soon as he realized an enemy Djinn had locked on to him. He gasped as the enemy unit shot. Everything went in slow motion for Suzaku as he desperately attempted to bring up his shield. Unfortunately he realized the Zaku was too slow and that the rifle round would pierce through the cockpit, killing all three of it's passengers instantly.

Luckily... It didn't! A light Purple Zaku had jumped in the way bearing it's shield. It wasn't your standard Zaku either. It had Missile pods attached to the back and a minigun replaced the standard beam rifle. The rifle round dug deep into the shield, but the purple Zaku unloaded a few rounds of it's minigun which tore through the Djinn's body. The lifeless enemy dropped to the ground dramatically and exploded upon hitting the earth.

A voice came into Suzaku's cockpit, "Hey Kid, I thought you might need a hand."

Suzaku sighed in relief but itched a little at being called kid, "Sir La Flaga? Is that you?"

"It sure is, kid! Now get her highness to the round table!"

Suzaku remembered that the codeword 'roundtable' designated the safe zone for the noblemen and the King. "Yes sir, and stop calling me kid!"

Mwu chuckled, "You're only a Knight Protector, I'm a Knight Commander. As long as your rank is under mine, I'll call you whatever I like! Ha ha!" Mwu's intercom shut off as he dashed off to the next enemy.

Suzaku gritted his teeth but was grateful that Mwu had come when he had. He navigated his Zaku towards the area the Roundtable was located. Luckily it was no longer in the middle of the fighting.

"Hang on Princess!" Suzaku roared as he hit the throttle to the max, allowing his Zaku to 'skate' towards it's destination.

* * *

The Strike skid to a halt as it neared the hospital. Kira could see people fleeing in terror from the white monolith, but he didn't care. He needed to get this girl medical attetion. The Strike got down on one knee and powered down. As he exited the cockpit holding the girl, he found himself face to face with police officers their pistols drawn, "Drop the girl and put your hands in the air!"

Kira was stunned but quickly recovered, "Look! Arrest me if you want, but help this girl! She needs help! She's bleeding badly!"

The closest officer could see the blood and consented lowering his gun, "Lower your weapons, if the kid was part of the Shadow Legion he would've killed us by now."

The other Police officers found the logic in that and did as they were told. Kira wasted no time and ran towards the hospital, the girl cradled in his arms. Kira wasn't prepared for what he saw next; People were laying everywhich way. Some were simply hiding, some had injuries and were waiting to be attended to. Nurses and Doctors were running all over the place in order to help the growing number of patients. Kira tried to get someone's attention but everyone was busy attending to somebody else. Kira pleaded, but to no avail. What was he supposed to do?

Kira had just given up just then when a woman came towards him swiftly. Kira closed his eyes, _Thank goodness! A doctor!_

"My name is Dr. Clare Richfeld! Please put that girl on that stretcher right away!"

Kira complied and the Doctor had him push the stretcher along to a small room. A nurse was waiting on standby until the doctor started whipping out commands, causing the nurse to come to life and move about hastily in compliance. As the doctor and nurse began to clean the wounds on the girl, Kira left.

He found himself wandering through the crowded, chaotic halls. Some children were dead in parents' arms, or vice versa. People moaned in agony as they clutched ghastly wounds. Kira's stomach started to heave. The smell of blood, sweat and smoke pervaded the air. The lights were dim due to the lack of power... Kira fought the feeling of overwhelming darkness and the sickness inside, but as soon as he got out of the hospital he fell to his hands and knees and began to wretch. After he finished he wiped his mouth with his sleeve... tears filled his eyes and one thought filled his head... _Why, did this happen?_

* * *

**Author's note: **Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry it was so brutal... I wanted to show how terrible war could be... I only have the one initial review so I hope to get more! Thank you!

The next update should be Thursday as I'll be very busy the next couple days. I hope this chapter makes up for it!

Please, if you have any requests, please make them. I hope someone is reading this! I won't be discouraged and will continue my story!!!

Still enlisting OC's so message me or Review! Thanks a ton!

_Next Chapter:__ Zero_


	4. Zero

Chapter iii

Zero

"Good, everything is going according to plan." A masked man said. He sat in the cockpit of a stolen weapon from a German Laboratory. The Kingdom designed it; its codename was the Blitz Gundam. " _I wonder what Kallen's progress is… Oh well, Let me see… the Blitz has Black Phase shift armor, peculiarly appropriate. _He laughed to himself. _Anyhow, it also uses Mirage colloid to make me invisible to both radar and the invisible eye; the only drawback is that I cannot attack or use my phase shift armor. A small sacrifice since the enemy cannot attack what they cannot see. It also has a beam rifle attached to the shield, which also acts as a beam saber. Piercing darts are an added feature and a claw to draw in my prey. Perfect"_

He then opened up the communication channel that belonged to the Shadow Legion, "Legionnaires, this is your commander, Zero!"

The Djinns that were currently in battle could hear Zero's voice. The Shadow Legion troops adored Zero. When he became part of the ranks, he quickly became the best strategist/tactician the Legion possessed. He gave them victory after consecutive victory and the world actually started to fear the now infamous Shadow Legion. They waited intently for his orders.

"Now," Zero began, "Cobra squadron let the white Zaku at point F-12 escape. He is one of our operatives. The Zaku of Suzaku Kururugi is to not to be harmed."

"Yes, sir!"

Zero smiled. He had big plans for Suzaku, the White Knight. His thoughts drifted to Kallen, however, "Anubis Squadron, what is the location of Q-1? Did she successfully steal the White G-weapon?"

The Anubis squadron was a group of flying Djinns that did reconnaissance, the leader's voice came on, "Sir, Q-1 has not reported in, although, the White Mobile Suit is currently powered down near White Oak Hospital."

Zero grimaced, inside his helmet. Why would Kallen not report in? Why would she be at the hospital? He quickly contacted another group, "Hell Dog Squadron, do you read?"

"Yes, my liege. What would you have us do?"

Zero smiled, "Go to White Oak hospital, locate Q-1 and retrieve the white mobile suit. Understood?"

"What do we do after we locate Q-1?" The leader asked.

"Rescue her if possible. She may have been injured, or captured by the enemy. Eliminate all opposition. You can do that, can't you Cerberus?"

Cerberus smiled, "You heard Zero, Hell Dogs! MOVE OUT!!!"

The Hell Dog squadron left towards the hospital, leaving Zero to think to himself. He then brought his thoughts back to the invasion and started to organize the forces, more properly. With Zero commanding them, the Shadow Legion started to devastate the Royals, destroying the Kingdom's forces, one by one.

* * *

Mwu was unsure of what to do. the Shadow legion had started to overwhelm the Royals. It was as if some brilliant tactician was coordinating them all of a sudden. Mwu and his forces were now falling into a phalanx using shields to protect themselves and the firing back at the enemy with their beam rifles. The situation was bleak, to say the least. Mwu was in the center of the phalanx destroying any missiles, with his chain-machine gun, that threatened to undo the phalanx but they wouldn't hold out for long. The enemy Djinns were surrounding them now and it was a deadly crossfire with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Mwu grimaced, "_Where is Sir Athrun?"_

As if on cue, a red mobile armor swooped in from above and strafed a line of the Djinns, destroying five units in one pass. Athrun's voice came on the Royal's communication line, "Sir La Flaga! Break through that line I weakened and get your men out of there! You're sitting ducks!"

Mwu didn't have to be told twice, "You heard Athrun! All of you get moving! Press forward and destroy that flank! Moore, Nills, help with covering fire for our rear and sides!"

Athrun had transformed his unit into an MS, his Savior, firing emerald rays from above as he started to annihilate the enemy forces. One by one, the Shadow Legion troops started to fall. They fell back trying to find cover but many were overtaken by the vicious counter attack.

Many of the legionnaires attempted to contact Zero, "My liege! A new Mobile Suit is- Argh! *static*"

* * *

Zero cursed, "What, another new mobile suit? I thought that the Strike was the only new weapon that the Kingdom possessed!"

Zero watched helplessly while his troops were driven back and the Royals began to regroup. "_Fine, then I'll just have to come up with a new strategy."_ He stopped musing, he just had to buy some more time for his plan and then the Royals would crumble. "All legionnaires regroup at point O-4."

"Yes, my liege!" was the ringing chorus of the legionnaires.

"Victory will be ours yet." The masked man laughed.

* * *

Suzaku hurriedly brought Meer and Shirley down a metal hallway and touched his hand on the bio scanner, causing the circular door to open. Meer cried as she ran towards her father, "Daddy!"

Siegel stood smiling, "Meer you're safe!" Lacus also stood and the family was about to embrace, but then a gunshot ripped through the air. Siegel clutched his chest as blood seeped through his fingers. He looked up in stunned surprise, just to see Suzaku holding his pistol, smoke pouring from its mouth.

"Why… Suzaku?" He then fell in a slump as Meer and Lacus attempted to catch him. They laid him softly on the floor. Shirley stepped away from Suzaku in horror. Lacus felt like everything was surreal. It was as if some bad dream was playing and attempting to pass off as reality. Her trembling eyes met Suzaku's cold ones. His eyes didn't look like his own. Something about them was… off.

Suzaku suddenly changed from his cold posture to a normal one, then to one of surprise, "Oh my God! Your Majesty! What happened!?" He attempted to run over towards Siegel Clyne but the majority of the noblemen that were surrounding the table drew pistols and had them trained on Suzaku. "Don't move traitor!" Sir Liam, the normally timid advisor, said viciously.

Suzaku froze, "Traitor? What do you mean?"

Everyone looked dumbfounded or enraged by this comment, "You just killed his Majesty!" Sir Liam yelled, "That is high treason and murder! You'll be hanged for this Kururugi!"

"Drop your weapon!" shouted a duke.

Suzaku put his gun down slowly, hands trembling. His face was that of pure confusion and terror. He slid the gun away from him and it slowly skidded in front of Meer. Suzaku dropped to his knees, "I didn't kill him... I don't know what's going on!" he looked to Shirley. The look of sheer terror and revulsion on her face. _"Why is everyone looking at me like this!?" _Suzaku thought. He tried desperately to remember what happened._ "At one moment I had Meer and Shirley with me and I brought them to the Round Table, the next moment the King is dead and I'm the one being blamed for his assassination... It doesn't add up! Why did time just pass me by?"_ Suzaku's head felt a large throb of pain as he did his best to remember. He clutched at his face, "I didn't kill him! Why can't I remember!?"

Meer just looked at the gun and then at Suzaku. How could her knight have done such a thing? After all the time they had spent together? After all the times she had seen love and adoration in Suzaku's eyes for the King… This was unforgivable. She slowly grabbed the pistol and brought it up aiming for his body, her hands were trembling and their was a crazed look in her eyes. Lacus noticed at the last second that Meer was going to shoot Suzaku, "No Meer!!!!"

Just before the second shot rent the air, Lacus had pushed Meer to the ground causing the bullet to dig into the concrete of the far wall. Sir Liam had dashed over and taken the gun away from Meer. Meer was crying pitifully and buried her face in her sister's lap, "Why did you stop me?! He killed Daddy!"

Shirley was crying as she watched this tragedy unfold. "_Why did this happen? Suzaku was our friend. We were classmates... he was Meer's knight..."_ she thought.

Suzaku was listless and looked up at Meer. He was actually hoping she would have shot him… "_I don't deserve to live, if this is what I really did..."_

* * *

The rain had not let up outside, yet the capital now had some light from burning fires that now dotted the once fair city. Kira sat under the Strike to stay dry. He was musing over everything that had happened that day. How did it go from being peaceful and fun-filled to horrible and nightmarish? He couldn't understand. He shuddered as he thought back to how he had killed that enemy pilot.

Kira was dozing off to sleep, tired by the day's events, but was awakened by police officers yelling, "Get everyone inside! We have six enemy mobile suits approaching this position!"

Kira froze, "More enemies?" He didn't want to have to fight again, but if he didn't what would happen to all of these people at the hospital? What would happen to that girl? No, he would protect them. Maybe he could draw the enemy away from the hospital. As he was boarding the Strike a police officer yelled up at him, "There's a fallen Zaku behind the hospital! You should be able to grab a weapon or two to fight with! We're counting on you!"

Kira nodded, though he still didn't like the thought of fighting. He closed the cockpit and started the OS. Gundam popped up on the screen and the system boot up. Kira then maneuvered the Strike towards the back of the hospital. There wasn't just a Zaku, there was two to be precise. That and four destroyed Djinns. Kira checked his energy: it was at fifty percent. He picked up a beam rifle and calibrated it to his weapons system. He then picked up a shield that wasn't in too bad shape. Kira then left, moving to a position to intercept the enemy. He found an open emergency channel, hoping the enemies would hear him, "Please! There are only civilians here! Stop this senseless fighting!"

Kira was surprised to be hailed by the leading MS unit, but accepted it nonetheless. A wicked looking man that was covered in scars appeared. He was bald and had steel grey eyes that pierced Kira's. A raspy voice filled Kira's cockpit, "Sorry Kid, but we kind of want that Mobile suit of yours, besides… there is a lot of people in that hospital that I'm just dying to send to Hades! My name is Cerberus, and I'll end you!"

The transmission was cut and Kira prepared himself to fight. The six enemy mobile suits were coming head on. Kira took aim and fired, "Why do you like fighting so much!?"

Cerberus chuckled on the open line, "Humans were born to fight! They are no better than animals! Its survival of the fittest! The strong devour the weak!"

Kira grimaced. The six began to surround him. None of his shots had hit since the enemies evaded them. Kira had dashed to the side and shot one of the enemy unit's right arm, "You're wrong!"

The one that he had shot pulled out his sword with his left arm and dashed towards Kira. Kira boosted straight towards the enemy and right as the enemy swung his blade the Strike jumped, stepping on the Djinn's head and turning in the air. He used his newfound height as an advantage and shot a barrage of beam sprays on another enemy that was taking aim on Kira. The enemy was torn apart as the shots destroyed his arms and head, unfortunately, it also pierced his boosters, causing the unit to explode and kill the enemy pilot. That's not what Kira had wanted.

Cerberus smiled evilly, "You're not bad kid! Perhaps we can have some fun with this pup, boys! Eat him alive!"

Tears started to well up in Kira's eyes, making it somewhat difficult to see the monitors in front of him; He had killed another person. Kira screamed, "What's wrong with you!?"

The Strike landed and shot some concentrated fire taking out one enemy Djinn's legs, sending it toppling to the ground. The three enemies that could still fight formed up in a line and shot simulatneously, pinning the Strike down, forcing Kira to hide behind his deteriorating shield. The shots just kept coming, hammering into the shield and eventually started to hit the Strike as well, causing the Strike to fall backwards. Cerberus gave the order to cease-fire. His blood red and black Djinn stalked over, his linear rifle trained on the Strike, "Game's over pup, I will have a lot of fun killing all those people you worked so hard to protect!"

At that moment Kira remembered all of those people at the hospital, he remembered that girl; he remembered all those innocent lives that would be killed by these murderers. He couldn't allow it. It was as if something in Kira broke. It was as if a seed had burst open in his mind's eye. He could smell what smelled like a wheat field; it was an earthy, pleasant smell. His normally beautiful colored Amethyst eyes turned a dark penetrating blue, and his pupils turned into tiny dots. His hands flew to the controls, "You won't hurt them!" Kira roared.

The Strike brought up its beam rifle and shot his enemy's weapon and then his camera and then he threw the remnants of his shield at Cerberus. His Djinn toppled, Cerberus cursing over the intercom, but the transmission died as the Djinn's power failed.

The Strike then boosted incredibly fast in a circle around his would be predators. Kira shot more accurately than normal, destroying the enemies' limbs causing them to be defenseless or unable to move. The last Djinn that was left standing used his CIWS as a last resort. The bullets bounced harmlessly against the Strike's Phase Shift Armor and the enemy pilot thought he was done for.

Kira hailed the last unit. The pilot was terrified as he stared what he thought was death, so he accepted the call. When he saw the boy in front of him, he was surprised, but instantly terrified again when he saw Kira's eyes. Kira then spoke, "I want you to leave and never take up arms against innocents again! Do we understand eachother?"

The pilot shook his head in agreement and maneuvered his Djinn around, leaving his fallen comrades behind.

Kira's Strike Gundam was at nineteen percent energy, enough to get him safely back to the hospital. Fire and lightning accented the mobile suit as it stood in the darkness… To those survivors of the Hell Dog Squadron that still had cameras, the Strike looked like a devil behind a backdrop of destruction.

* * *

Kallen Stadtfeld awoke in a dark room, rain pounding on the window. She did her best to look around although she had a splitting headache and a surge of pain stopped her attempts. She laid back down. A nurse came over to check on her, "Are you all right dear? You have incurred some terrible wounds."

Kallen didn't know what to say. This nurse obviously didn't know who Kallen was because she wouldn't be so kind to her otherwise. _"Let's keep it that way." _She thought.

Since Kallen hadn't responded the nurse continued, "Your friend stepped out for a bit. I don't know who he was. He seemed really concerned about you, but when Dr. Richfeld and I started to clean you up he left."

Kallen was confused, "Friend?"

Just then a roar of triumph in the hallway. Random people were talking, "The boy in the white mobile suit protected us. He stopped six Djinns from the Shadow Legion!"

"No way!"

"He must be a knight! I mean did you see his mobile suit? That's not something I've seen before!"

"Besides he took out six djinns! He has to be a knight!"

Kallen was trying to get a handle on what was going on around her. "_What boy in the white mobile suit?" _She thought._ "Was that the Strike that I had tried to steal for Zero? Was this boy my unknown savior? Or," _she grimaced_. "…my captor? No, not capto_r, _if I'm being treated this nicely, no one realizes I'm part of the Shadow Legion. But that boy must have found me with the Strike."_

Kallen tried to remember what had happened. _"I remember stealing the Strike, just like Zero told me to, but before I closed the cockpit a guard had shot me… That explains my sore arm. Let me see I got out of hangar and made my way back to airship, but then some idiot Legionnaires attacked me! One had hit me with his sword, and since I didn't have my seat belt on… That explains the headache…" _Kallen was cursing herself for her own stupidity; safety first, right? She was also trying to remember what happened… _"I exited the Strike trying to escape before I got killed by my so called 'allies' and then everything went black. That boy must have found me then."_

Kallen's thoughts were interrupted by more chattering outside in the hallway, "Look, it's the kid!"

"Whoo hoo! Three cheers for our protector!"

"Hip, hip, Hoorah! Hip, hip, hoorah! Hip, hip, hoorah!" They all cheered.

As Kira passed by, random people slapped him on the back or tried to shake his hand. Some were crying and thanking him for saving them. Kira was surprised by the warm welcoming he had received. He didn't know what to say. He just did what he felt was right... He didn't expect, or even want, a reward.

Kira made his way past the throngs of jubilant people and into the room Kallen was being held. The nurse smiled, "She just woke up, not too long ago, she hasn't spoken much and seems a bit confused at the moment."

Kira shook his head, "It's okay. I don't know her personally. I just found her out there and tried to help her."

The nurse smiled widely, "It's good to know there are some good people with brave hearts these days."

Kira smiled weakly, luckily in the darkness the nurse couldn't see the concern on his face. The nurse placed a hand on his shoulder, "Thank you for saving us. What is your name, young man?"

"Uh, Kira... Kira Yamato. And no need to thank me. I just didn't want anyone else to be hurt..."

The nurse had tears start to form in her eyes. It warmed her heart to know there were good people in the world. She wiped the tears away, "If you'll excuse me Mr. Yamato, I must get back to work. There are many people who still need my help. Thanks to you, they have a future still." She bowed to him and left the room.

Kallen had been doing her best to look over at Kira without him noticing. She took in his appearance and was a little suprised. She hadn't expected someone like him to be able to pilot the Strike. She had a hard enough time doing it while she was injured, but she was an ace pilot. He seemed... green.

Kallen pretended to be asleep again as Kira turned towards her. Kira pulled up a chair and just stared at her for a while. She really was beautiful. She had a nice form but what really got him was her face. It was simple, yet lovely and alluring. Her hair was a dash of spice that made her seem a bit feisty. _"Well, if she's a mobile suit pilot, she must have a little spunk." _He thought.

Kira's eyes became tired and started to droop. He was exhausted after the day's events. He let his head start to droop and he fell asleep. Kallen had tried to get up so she could leave but the pain in her arm stopped her, or was it the medication? She couldn't tell but she did get tired again quickly. She studied this boy, named Kira. _"Who are you and why would you rescue me? Are you a Knight and plan to take me in? Or do I even have to fear you?" _Her thoughts and anxieties made her even more tired. She let her thoughts turn to Zero, "_I'm sorry I failed you, Zero." _And with that Kallen lost her battle and fell asleep again.

* * *

Zero slammed his fist on his arm rest as his troops were beaten back by the resistant Royals. "_I didn't expect the Royals to resist for this long and I'm sure it is because that Red G-weapon. I hope that Suzaku completed his mission. If the King is truly dead, then the enemy's morale will break and we shall easily overrun these fools. I should have our troops leave soon though. Enemy reinforcements will arrive soon, no doubt, but my contingency plan will ward off intervention." _

Zero sat motionless as a face appeared on the screen. It was Lacus Clyne, the First Princess of the Kingdom of Avalon. Zero felt a surge of triumph, "Now the people will discover that the White Knight has killed his King. Checkmate, Clyne. I win."

Zero smiled inwardly as he remembered those last few moments with Suzaku...

* * *

Approximately six hours ago...

"Hey Lelouch!"

Lelouch looked up to see his friend, Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch smiled to himself, "I've been waiting for you Suzaku."

Suzaku panted a little as he caught his breath, "I got your message, you said it was important. What's up?" Suzaku studied his friend. Lelouch had dark purple eyes and jet black hair that neat. Lelouch was slim but a little on the unfit side. It was okay, though, what Lelouch had lacked in physical prowess, he made up for in intelligence.

Lelouch put a hand over one of his eyes, and as his hand was removed, a red V much like a bird flew into Suzaku's eye, changing the nerves in his brain and forcing Suzaku's memory and mind to bend to Lelouch's single command, "When you see King Siegel Clyne next, I order you to kill him."

Suzaku's eyes glowed red for a second but then returned to normal. "So what did you need to see me for, Lelouch? You said it was important."

Lelouch smiled, "Oh, yeah," his voice now friendlier, "I have that CD, you lent me. I forgot to give it back to you last night, so I wanted to return it to you now."

Suzaku shook his head, "That's what was so important?" Jeez Lelouch! You could've just given it to me tomorrow in class. I left Meer alone for this. I've got to go. Thanks Lelouch. Take care!"

As Suzaku ran off, Lelouch smiled, "No, Suzaku, thank you."

* * *

Zero smiled inwardly, knowing his plan had worked.

Lacus then spoke on the video screen, her face was pale, and withdrawn, but powerful and full of conviction, "People of Avalon and invaders of the Shadow Legion, I am Lady Lacus Clyne, First Princess of the Kingdom of Avalon. Our Lord, His Majesty, Siegel Clyne, is dead. He was killed." Tears filled Lacus' eyes but she shook them away and looked at the screen, seemingly undaunted, "I am now acting representative of the Kingdom's government. I ask all invading forces to withdraw at once. Have your troops retreat to your Airship and leave our airspace at once. If you will not comply with our demands then all my Knights and Royal Soldiers of Avalon, I order you to scourge these vile invaders and purify our lands! We shall not allow simple terrorists have their way with us!"

Zero froze, he did not expect this from Lady Lacus. He knew her personally. She was too... dainty... for such a thing as war. She always skipped her world's events and history classes because she detested things as ugly as war.

_"What will I do now?" _Zero asked himself silently, "_Do I call her bluff? Or do I fold and rethink my strategy?" _

"Sir!" yelled one of the legionnaires.

"What is it?"

"That Red Mobile Suit it... Argh! *static*"

Zero watched as his advance troops were destroyed one by one by the enraged Royals; the Red Gundam was in the lead. Zero cursed. He turned on the open channel for all of his troops, "All units, retreat to the Stratus. We are leaving. The battle is not ours today, but we have the greater prize!" Zero turned off the intercom and pulled off his helmet.

Lelouch glared at Lacus, "You'll pay dearly for this, White Queen. Zero shall destroy you!"

* * *

**Author's note: **Well I'm glad to see that people are favoriting this story and leaving some reviews! I'm so glad! For a while I was a little worried! No worries though, because the story will continue all the same! Please R&R!

As for **GS4ever, **thanks for reviewing! To clear up the Cagalli/Athrun relationship... Well Cagalli and Athrun still love eachother. They want to be together but both are holding on to their own pain that can't be healed at the moment due to the lack of communication. Cagalli is upset that Athrun left, Athrun is upset that she got engaged... That seemed to be what broke them up in the original series too... Lack of communication. So Cagalli will be introduced later on and we'll see how things play out. If you want things to go a certain way just ask! I may lean towards my readers' opinions!

I hope this chapter was exciting! I know I said I'd update later, but not even a surgery could keep me away from writing to you all! Mwahahaha!!! erhm... anyhow, I'm glad you have read! Please review and let me know what you think! Or ask me a question!

Still enlisting OCs.

_**Next Chapter**__**: **_**The White Princess**


	5. The White Princess

**Chapter IV**

_**The White Princess**_

As the sun arose the following morning, darkness still covered the land because the tempest that raged over the capital city. It was much easier to see now, but the storm continued to cast its gloom on the hapless inhabitants. Survivors searched for friends and family in this destitute aftermath. Buildings that were once fine and grand lay in ruins, skeletons of their former glory.

Kira was in the Strike's cockpit, piloting so he could carefully move debris. He wanted to help the people find survivors. While helping at one particular ruin, a stairway was found.

"Hey," Kira spoke over the intercom, "I found a stairway that leads to a door. Someone check it out."

A few able men trotted down the stairs, excited yet nervous to have found something like this. It meant that they either saved a lot of people or found a lot of corpses. As the first young man to reach the door opened it, he was relieved to find a group of people staring back at him. They cried and smiled and came out into the overcast lighting, thankful that they had been spared.

Kira smiled as a cheer rose up and people started to hug one another. He then frowned, "I wonder what happened to Miriallia and the others..."

Kira recalled how they had been seperated after the attack...

* * *

"Kira? What is that?" Miriallia asked, frightened.

Kira just gulped, "It's an... airship."

The class had now been sent into a hysteria while Professor Ogi attempted to calm the class, "Everything is going to be all right class! We are just going to down to the basement and wait this out. Take any blankets, food and water that you may have. Be quick about it now!"

The people used cellphones as poor flashlights, but it allowed them not to trip over one another or bump into walls.

Sai picked up Fllay, "Come on Fllay, we need to get you out of here."

"But my father is dead!" She wailed.

Tolle grabbed Miriallia's hand, "Come on, let's go."

Miriallia nodded and let Tolle guide her with the rest of the class. Kira helped Sai take Fllay. He looked back at the window again as he heard explosions. Some of those dots that he had seen were a bit bigger now and silhouetted against the rising fires. They were destroying the city!

Kira was taken in by the horror of it all but was brought out of it by Sai, "Kira!"

Kira shook his head, "Right, sorry."

Sai and Kira guided a crying Fllay down the hall when the building started to tremble. The invaders were getting closer.

The three teenagers were just about to get to the basement, Kira could even see Professor Ogi, waving for them to follow and get there faster, but, then the building's roof collapsed right in front of them! Kira and Sai had fallen backwards as they tried to get Fllay away from the falling debris. Sai cursed, "What just happened!?"

Kira looked up as he saw a black mobile suit, it looked like a Djiin in the darkness, staring them down with it's single eye. Kira heard the whir of the mobile suit's CIWS preparing to fire at them. He didn't think the end would happen like this, but consigned to his fate. Luckily for Kira and the others, an emerald blast pierced the Djinn's head, causing a small explosion that slid the teens back a few feet.

Kira looked up and saw Fllay, unconcious. She had hit her head on a piece of debris on the ground. Sai was shaking off the blast. Kira yelled something to Sai, but neither of them heard it as all that they heard was a ringing noise. _"Great, I lost some part of my hearing..." _Kira thought.

The two young men got up, Sai picking up Fllay, gingerly. Kira stumbled over to a hole in the wall and checked to see if it was safe. He saw a few Royal Zakus fighting off the invaders, but the sheer numbers of the black mobile suits pouring into the area was unreal. Kira could see a dozen terrorists, compared to the three Royal Zaku's that were already mobilized in this area. It was a terrible sight to behold. Pink dots and other, smaller lights were all that could be seen of the mobile suits unless they passed by fire or lightning struck nearby.

Kira beckoned Sai to follow. The two young men raced across the open expanse to another building, hoping to find some sort of cover. They flew into a building and hid in the darkness. Kira made a motion for Sai to stay. As Kira looked out the door again he saw a Djinn look straight at him. Kira's heart raced, "Sai they spotted me! I'm going to draw them away!"

Sai screamed, "Kira, no!"

Kira darted from the building, running as fast as his legs would allow him move. He heard CIWS fire and stucco and concrete being pounded and eradicated behind him. He continued to run and run, hoping that the buildings would provide enough cover for him to escape. "_Please get to safety Sai..."_ was all Kira could think while he ran for his life.

* * *

_"After that," _Kira thought to himself, "_I found that girl." _Speaking of which, as Kira looked at his rear HUD, he saw the girl standing in the doorway of a building watching the Strike. _"Maybe, she'll talk to me now."_ he thought.

Kira lowered the Strike to one knee and opened the cockpit, coming down on the cable. He stepped off and approached the girl. She had a sling on her left arm and Kira had given her his jacket so she wouldn't be cold. He smiled, "So how are you feeling? Is your head okay? How's your arm?"

Kallen frowned, "How do you think? Do I look I'm dancing for joy?"

Kira was taken back by her tartness, "Umm, sorry. I was just hoping... you'd be feeling a little better."

Kallen just looked off in another direction, somewhat pouting, "_How could Zero have left me!" _She thought. They both stood in silence.

Kira did his best to smile and break any awkwardness, "So I hear that the shot to your shoulder will be okay. Luckily it only hit your muscle and didnt' hit any bone or anything..."

Kallen looked skeptical, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

"Well it means, it should only take a few weeks and then you can get that sling off. The tissue may scar and all, but..."

Kallen shook her head, "Wow, Mr. Yamato, you sure know how to make a girl feel better about herself."

Kira was suprised, "You know my name?"

Kallen grinned playfully, "Who doesn't know the name of the famous Kira Yamato! Knight of the White Oak Hospital! Killed, how many was it? Six Djinns by yourself..." She laughed at her own joke though she was actually angry, and somewhat confused, that her comrades had been killed by him.

Kira grimaced, "I didn't kill them!"

Kallen was taken back by his outburst. He was breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly, "I... didn't want... anyone to die."

Kallen shook her head in amazement, "Pfft, what kind of soldier are you?"

Kira glared at her, "I'm not a soldier!" Kira thought of Cerberus and how that man was just... evil, "I'm not like them..."

Kallen was actually somewhat in awe, though she couldn't explain why. The two lapsed into silence again, except now Kallen was the one that felt awkward.

Kira was looking off somewhere in the distance. He suddenly spoke, suprising Kallen, "So what's your name?" he sounded much calmer.

Kallen inhaled sharply, "...Kallen."

Kira looked up into her eyes. She wasn't sure if there were tears in his eyes or if it was just the rain, but then he smiled at her and her heart skipped, "Kallen... you can call me Kira."

The two just stared at eachother, and Kallen started to blush a little. Kira had suprised her with his outburst and now even more so with his kindness. The two teenagers were interrupted by a familiar call, "Birdie!"

Kira turned and smiled, "Birdie! You're okay! I was wondering where you went!"

Kira's green mechanical bird landed on his finger and looked at him thoughtfully. It looked over at Kallen and then hopped onto his master's shoulder.

"What... is that?" Kallen asked, genuinely interested though still embarrassed.

Kira smiled, "This is Birdie. An old friend gave him to me." Kira used his finger to play with Birdie.

"May I?" Kallen asked, unsure of herself.

Kira nodded, and took Birdie off his perch and put him on Kallen's finger. Birdie looked intently at her and chirped, "Birdie!" It flew from her finger and on top of her head, scaring her and making Kira laugh.

The two teenagers laughed together for a small moment and fell back into a silent state. Kira looked back and saw a large truck with a red cross on it pull up. "New supplies?" Kira offered his hand to Kallen, but she shook her head, "I'll stay where it's dry, thanks."

Kira smiled. He had been standing in the rain for some time and his clothes were soaked through; unlike Kallen who was mostly dry; thanks to Kira's leather jacket. Kira shrugged, "Okay, well I'm going to see what I can do to help."

Kallen rolled her eyes, "Whatever you say boyscout."

Kira shook his head and ran off to the truck. Kallen watched as Kira helped the two Royal Troops unload the supplies to the many denizens that needed the relief badly. Kallen almost felt bad... This reminded her of something... But what? She shook off the feeling and looked at the sky, "_Please, come back for me...Zero..."_

* * *

Athrun was tired. He had been running on little to no sleep for the last twenty-seven hours. Lacus had been appointed to be the new figure head, on her own initiative no less. She thought that she could be the symbol of hope for her people. They needed to know that she was not going to give up. Lacus was speaking with a group of noblemen, deciding what the next course of action should be. So far, Lacus had organized Royal troops to leave to the Capital city to bring relief for the destitute and the helpless.

Mwu La Fllaga had his MS team out, helping with rescue operations in the city. Athrun had just been on surveillance duty and before that he had escorted the enemy Airship out of the Kingdom's airspace. He chugged down a water bottle greedily, the cool, crisp water felt good on his parched throat.

Athrun looked about the Roundtable. Knights, dukes and other noblemen were gathered around, all discussing and arguing over what should be done. Each had their own agenda, attempting to pull the new figure head, Lacus, to their side. Athrun frowned at that; he did not want Lacus to be a pawn.

The arguing and the discussions were gaining a new height when Lacus suddenly arose, causing the noblemen to stop instantly. She spoke, calmly, and quietly, yet with power, "The most important thing right now is to take care of our citizens who are in need of our support. As for Suzaku Kururugi and the Peace convention, I shall come before the public and make manifest my intentions... Sir Liam?"

Sir Liam was in awe of the Princess, "Yes, your grace?"

"Tell the media I will be speaking in town square at twelve noon today."

Sir Liam was taken back, "Your grace?"

Lacus bowed her head to all of them, "I need no further assisstance. Thank you for your time gentlemen. The Round Table will meet here tomorrow morning."

The Duke of Ireland, Seamus McHall, slammed his fist on the table, "I object! You have not told this council your decision on the matter! You cannot just act without our consent!"

Lacus smiled at the large man, somewhat disarming him, "I am exercising my authority as the Kingdom's figure head and making an executive order. I will see you all here tomorrow."

Duke McHall gawked. As Lacus left the room, Athrun followed behind. As the two turned into the empty hallway Athrun called to Lacus, "Lacus? Are you okay?"

Lacus stopped. She turned towards Athrun and he saw the tears in her eyes. She shook her head and ran into Athrun. She cried and sobbed into his chest as he held her. She cried into him letting out all the hurt and the agony. Athrun just stood there holding her, doing his best to comfort her. Then the cries turned into muffled sobs and she eventually ceased. She had fallen asleep in Athrun's arms, while standing no less. He looked down at her peaceful, tear stained face. His own tears formed in his eyes as he thought of everything Lacus had to go through in the last twelve hours. "Oh Lacus..." his voice was filled with pain, "I'm so sorry..."

He picked her up and carried her to her room.

* * *

Lacus found herself in a large expanse of whiteness. It was somewhat beautiful to have so much whiteness, but was also a little disconcerting. The field then became checkered, and glossy like Marble floor. She stood on a white square. On the opposite side of this checkered field, stood a man. He was in extravagent clothes with a large flowing cape, but wore a black mask that hid his whole face. He pointed directly at her. Black Mobile Suits appeared around him. She recognized some as Djinns, others were totally different from what she had seen before.

The masked man swept his arms down and the Mobile Suits moved forward, towards her! She let out a scream and awoke in a sweat.

Lacus was laying in her bed, with Athrun by her bedside. He placed a hand on her shoulder, "What! What's wrong princess!" he asked concerned, yet groggily. She looked around confused. Athrun was sitting in a chair near her bed. He looked so tired. She FELT tired. She then remembered everything that had happened. She relaxed and fell back into bed.

Athrun still sat upright, expectantly. Lacus smiled at him, "Sorry Athrun, I had a bad dream."

Athrun sighed and slumped in his chair, "Oh, at least that's all it was." He laid his head back and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

Lacus stretched as she sat up again. It was eleven-thirty am. "Athrun, I have to go to town square. Would you like to rest?"

Athrun sat up, "No, it's my duty to protect you. I will not fail my duty."

Lacus shook her head as she looked at herself in the mirror, she was still in her clothes from yesterday. She didn't have time to change though. "All right then, Sir Athrun." She said, trying to be playful, "Let us head out. We need to get to townsquare."

Athrun nodded, "Let's go in the Savior."

Lacus paused, "That's a great idea! The Savior might be a good beacon to the people!"

Athrun shook his head, "I think you will be a good beacon to the people."

Lacus smiled thoughtfully, "Thank you Athrun."

Athrun stood, "I'll get the Savior prepped and ready for launch."

Lacus nodded. After Athrun left the room Lacus looked out her window to the grey sky.

* * *

Kallen sat on the Strike's knee while looking at the same grey sky Lacus was at that very moment. The rain had stopped. Now a cool breeze swept over the city. It felt nice on Kallen's face. She brushed some of her bangs from her eyes.

Kira made his way over, craning his neck back to see her, "Kallen, there you are. Come on! Lacus is having a speech in town square!"

Kallen looked down at Kira, thinking, _"I don't want to hear from your princess..." _she shook her head.

Kira seemed confused, but climbed up the mobile suit to reach her, "Kallen?"

Kallen shifted nervously; what was she going to do or say if he asked?

Kira asked, but it wasn't the question she had expected, "Are you okay?"

_"Gosh!" _Kallen thought, "_He would ask that! Come to think of it, he hasn't asked me why I was piloting the Strike. I wonder why..."_

Kira frowned, "Kallen?"

Kallen just glared at him, "How about you stop being nice to me! I didn't ask for your help!"

Kira was hurt by her words. Kallen's heart felt a constricting feeling when she saw the hurt in his eyes, "_Why did telling him off hurt so bad? Wasn't he even a little bit angry at her?" _

Kira looked down, "Oh, okay. Well, I'm off then..."

Kira slid down the Strike's leg and walked off towards town square. He didn't look back at Kallen. Kallen threw her good arm into the air and fell on her back, "Good grief!" She then proceeded to ruffle her hair with her hand, "Garh! That's frustrating!" And it was... It was frustrating to her to think someone actually cared.

* * *

A healthy crowd of angry, sad, and a weakened people showed up in town square waiting to hear the Princess' address, though they didn't expect her to come in a mobile suit. The Gundam Savior touched down right in the center of town square and Lacus emerged from the cockpit with her knight, Athrun Zala. She was wearing her commoner clothes from the day prior. She had spent a fun relaxing day with Athrun and his friend just a day prior. "_How sad..." _She thought.

Lacus looked over the people that now were looking to her. She saw the varied emotions in the peoples' faces and she had compassion on them. She wished that she could make the hurt go away. The people waited quietly and expectantly for Lacus to speak. They had not expected what happened next. Lacus started to sing...

Her words were soothing. Her voice was the sound of hope... the sound of truth. Her voice carried over the people, warming and consoling their troubled hearts. The people started to cry silently, moved by the Princess' voice. Athrun listened to her and looked at her in awe. He felt tears stream down his face. All the tiredness and hurt he had felt was washed away; it was as if some warm caress of a mother just soothed all of the bad feelings away.

Kira was stunned by the sweet caring voice that carried through the air. All the pain he had felt in his heart over what he had done and gone through disappeared. That few minutes of her singing felt like an eternity for all the people there. When the Princess' voice died away, all the members of the congregation were silent and enraptured by her.

Then she spoke, "Hello my friends, I am Lacus Clyne... we have all endured much this past night. We must all band together and help one another to move forward. I plead earnestly with you all: Have love for one another. As we move forward in this dark night of uncertainty, have faith. We shall live on; with love in our hearts, we will conquer the surrounding darkness... With love in our hearts we will mend broken hearts and soften the hardened ones that hate us... Through love and perserverance, we will overcome the greatest of all obstacles. Our enemies would have us defeated, but we are still here. We still stand and are still a strong people... As we have love, one to another, we shall show the world that we are not defeated or cowed, but that we shall live on." She paused, tears forming in her eyes, "Love is the answer, my friends. Love your neighbor and help one another rebuild our broken city. The Peace Convention is in two days. We will still be there promoting peace. We will be promoting love!" Lacus' hand went over her heart, "I will do everything in my power to help all of you achieve peace and happiness. Please, help me to do this... Give freely of yourselves to help others and happiness will be yours..."

At first it was just a few people, "We love you Lacus!"

"We will help you!"

"We're strong! We won't be beat!"

The whole crowd started to chant Lacus' name, and love. They called out for one another and people started to hug one another and shake hands. They all cheered and called out for peace and unity.

Lacus smiled, tears flowing down her face. She looked to Athrun, smiling. Athrun was so taken back by this speech that he just stood, mouth gaping. Lacus then returned to the crowd, "Thank you!" She yelled as loud as she could, but it was to no avail. The people were all so taken in by Lacus and this message of Love that they were all cheering and holding one another up. There was hope.

* * *

Elsewhere, Lelouch slammed his fist on his chair, "What is this!"

He glared menacingly at the video streaming in front of him. Lacus had just made a message of love in response to being attacked and the people were eating it up! _"This doesn't make sense! Why!? Why are the people flocking to her!?"_

A mysterious girl sat on the couch, watching Lelouch. She had lime-green hair that was long and flowing. Her yellow eyes simply followed Lelouch's actions. She seemed bored, "So now what Lelouch?" She sighed.

Lelouch glared at her, "How does any of that rubbish make sense! They were just attacked! Aren't they supposed to be angry! Aren't they supposed to be calling out for blood!? For vengeance!?"

C2 shrugged, "I guess it's difficult for you to lose. Right?"

Lelouch sent her a withering look, "I haven't lost yet, witch!"

C2 proceeded taking off her white dress, revealing a pale body in white underwear. She flopped on the couch, "I'm just saying it must be hard for you to fight an opponent you don't understand."

Lelouch took that bit of information in. He still couldn't fathom how a political move like this would work... and he was upset that he had lost Kallen in that attack. She was practically his right hand, besides C2 that was. It was a bitter blow. That and the Cerberus squad did not return, meaning they were defeated by the white mobile suit. Kallen wouldn't betray him, which meant that someone else had taken the Strike.

Lelouch buried his face in one hand, "I just don't understand."

His laptop alerted him, "Incoming transmission..."

Lelouch walked over and saw who it was from.

//Akira//.

* * *

Kallen had decided to run away before Kira could come back so she started to hop into the Strike. She closed the cockpit and tried to turn on the OS. It was then that it asked her for a password and verificiation code.

"What the hell is this? Garh!"

Kallen exited the Strike, "I can't believe he would put a security code over the old OS!"

Right as she touched the ground she found herself in front of Kira. She screamed in suprise, falling backwards, but Kira caught her. He stood holding her for a few moments. Kallen lost her breath and was just staring at him; but then she came back to her senses, "Do you mind?"

Kira let her up and just looked at her, "So you were going to leave without saying goodbye or thank you?"

Kallen nodded, "I would have," she frowned, chagrined, "but you changed the Strike's OS."

Kira seemed disappointed, "I didn't want anyone to accidently start piloting it. It's a dangerous machine."

"Well can I have it back?"

"Why? It's not yours."

Kallen froze. Did he know something? She played it off, "What are you talking about! Of course it's..."

"The OS I overwrote was that of a Djinn's. The original OS was not even created yet, which means that the Djinn OS was meant to simply move the machine. Were you trying to keep it out of enemy hands or something?"

Kallen was speechless. Kira continued, "Look, I understand that you don't like me all that much even though I saved you, but at least you could tell me why you were trying to pilot that thing."

Kallen fell to her knees and started to sob. She decided to play on Kira's kindness. She knew how good of a guy Kira was; he'd have compassion on her, "I was... my dad... he was one of the engineers working on it... but then... they came. He told me to take it away... but then they shot him... they almost killed me... I... waah!" She shuddered and began to cry.

Kira's frustration turned to soft compassion, "I'm sorry Kallen... I shouldn't have been so harsh. I'm sorry..." He put his hand around her shoulder as he kneeled down, "I'm so sorry. That was stupid of me..."

Kallen kept looking at the ground._"That actually worked! Gosh, this guy is so naive!"_ She looked up into his eyes, with her fake tears.

Kira smiled weakly, "I'm sorry Kallen..."

Kallen shook her head, "It's okay. You didn't know."

"No, Princess Lacus told all of us to have love for one another and here I am being cold to you... Will you forgive me?"

Kallen nodded, "Of course I'll forgive you. You didn't know Kira..." She smiled at him, "But, you can make it up to me by taking me out to eat! I'm sure there is a restraunt or two that is still open..."

Kira was shocked but then laughed at her joke. She smiled, "I'm serious ya know."

Kira's smile disappeared, "Oh, right! Let's go then!" He took her hand and she laughed at him. He was pretty cute when he was all flustered. _"Too bad I'm just going to use you..." _she thought.

* * *

Lacus stood next to Athrun on her balcony. The green, vibrant garden that she once loved so much was now trampled and burned and turned to a scorched blackened color. She rested her head on his shoulder. He stood silent and thoughtful.

"Do you not approve of my desires?" She asked.

Athrun was suprised, "No. I just... I don't know what the right thing to do is anymore."

Lacus closed her eyes, "The peace convention is the day after tomorrow. We should get some rest. It will be busy for a while..."

Athrun looked down at her. She had always been playful and fun... now she seemed so... serious. It was as though that night had forced her to grow up spontaneously. He was worried about her.

"I'm all right Athrun. Honest."

"I didn't..."

"You were thinking it."

Athrun opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off by Lacus, "If you were really worried about me maybe you could fill in the King's position. Can we talk about marriage now?" She asked playfully.

Athrun blinked, causing Lacus to laugh, "I'm just kidding silly. Really though, I'm fine. I'm sure this is what Dad would want."

Athrun just nodded. He agreed there, the King would have wanted the Peace Convention to continue.

"Athrun?"

"Yes, Lacus?"

"Will you just hold me?"

Athrun wrapped one arm around her as she laid her head in the nook of his arm. She smiled, "Thank you..." and with that, the White Princess drifted off to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, well this chapter was not my favorite one but it'll do... It felt kind of... well off, but maybe that was just me. I know that character developement is crucial so I'm trying! Have patience with me! I hope you enjoyed! I'm glad to see that some people enjoy my story!

A special thanks to **PinkCarnation^_^417. **Your review is much appreciated! Thank you for your kind words. Yeah, I believe that Kallen and Kira could develop something together if I allowed it to, it would definitely switch things up! I'm glad you are enjoying and I hope you keep reading!

I'm wondering if Lacus' message was realistic or not, but then I decided, "Lacus is a young woman that is now the leader of a country. She's inexperienced and if her message sounds naive and unreal then oh well!" As for the people's reaction to her... well I've seen a lot of people moved by a simple message of hope and love. Here's hoping, though I'm sure there are a lot of politicians in the Kingdom that are not thrilled by Lacus. Let's see what unfolds!

Please review if you have time! It would give me new inspiration! It also allows me to know if you enjoy what you are reading or not! I'll be starting on the next chapter soon, and it should be up in a day or two!

I hope you all are well! Thanks for the support... even if it is silent! Lol!XD!

_**Next Chapter:**__** A Shining Star in the Dark**_


	6. A Single Star in the Night

_**Chapter V**_

_**A Shining Star in the Night**_

The world was abuzz with excitement, wonder and anxiety. The World Peace Convention was only two days away and a large scale terrorist attack had taken out the Kingdom of Avalon's Capital City. To top it all off the King was murdered and a young girl had taken up the mantle of authority. This type of situation left one thought in many peoples' minds: Avalon was a target. The Czar or Russia and the Empress of China decided to capitalize on this turn of events by weakening the Kingdom's influence in bordering areas. The United States reacted by reaching out to the Kingdom, promising protection and aid if the Princess became part of the American Alliance. The Orb Union was the only actual helpful nation.

Representative Uzumi Nara Atha did not want to prey on any nation, it was not within the ideals of his free nation. Avalon strove more for Peace than any other kindred nation so naturally the two had warm relations and both pushed for the Peace Convention.

Uzumi stroked his gray beard as he stared at a globe. He had predicted what would happen and he did not like what he saw. Russia and the Chinese Union would most likely take over some of the satellite nations that served as a buffer to Avalon. Next, they would take in Avalon's states, by force or through manipulation. It profitted them much, by doing so. Avalon would be choked and squeezed and without a strong leader, the country would fall apart. Uzumi did not want that.

The Peace Convention that he and Siegel Clyne had laboriously put together was the first step toward a friendlier, kinder world. One where people could understand eachother. One where war would be retarded and stunted. Peace would be the end result and it would be through the decision of the people. There would not only be Peace... there would be real Freedom. Now, Uzumi had to rely on Siegel's eldest daughter, Lacus Clyne. Having to rely on a teenage girl that knew little about politics worried him. Her speech of love and hope was powerful and stirring to those that had a good heart, however, the evil people would use her naitivity to their advantage.

Uzumi spun the globe and stood from his chair. He hoped some good would happen from all of this. _"I wonder," _Uzumi thought, "_will Lady Clyne be the star of hope that we all need? Or will she blink out, like so many others in the past?"_

* * *

The night was cold and crisp. A small breeze trickled through the city. Clouds were scattered about so one could see the sky above Avalon clearly.

Kira had fallen asleep so Kallen seized the opportunity. If she were able to steal a Mobile suit, she could fly back to Iceland where Zero would be. She had packed a bag full of rations that Kira had gathered for them; that, and the bottles of water she had acquired should sustain her until she reached Zero.

"See ya, boyscout..." Kallen saluted mockingly.

She snuck out and did her best to stay covered in the darkness. She slunked about through allyways and sidestreets, doing her best to evade police patrols and Royals. She had made it halfway to the Military Base near the foot of the hill when she had been accosted by a group of men.

"Hey pretty girl, whatcha doin' out so late." Asked a weasely man.

"And by yerself no less. Don't you know it's dangerous at night sweethear'?" A bruiser stepped out of the dark and into the moonlight.

One ugly man licked his lips, "Yeah, she looks like grade A meat all right! Look at those legs!"

Kallen glared daggers at the men. These were scum sucking slug eaters that used the recent chaos and confusion to prey on the weak and helpless. Kallen wasn't afraid. True she was injured, but she wasn't afraid to die, nor was she afraid to kill any one of these lowlife. She drew out her switchblade.

"Ooh! Lookie! Girlie has a knife!" Another man had come up behind her and attempted to seize her. Kallen's leg flew up into the man's face sending him flying in the air and hitting the concrete hard. The man cursed, while he clutched his face in pain.

The other men had flown into action. Kallen was swift in bringing up her other leg in a roundhouse kick, driving one man into the ground. Unfortunately this left her open and the remaining two men grappled her. The force caused her to drop her knife. She attempted to scream but one of her aggressors covered her mouth. She bit the man's hand causing him to yelp and let go of her. This let her squirm a bit as she elbowed the other man that had grabbed her. She was released, but then gasped as a hard object bludgeoned her skull, causing her to see stars. The man she had first kicked had come up behind her and clubbed her. Kallen fell to her knees. The men all seized the opportunity, and kicked her into submission. Kallen lay on the ground, wheezing and coughing as she fought for breath.

"Don't hurt her too much," One man laughed, "We don't want that smoking body to bruise!"

All of the scumbags laughed at that.

The leader continued, smiling evillly, "Now, let's have some 'real' fun."

Kallen froze, knowing what these vile men meant to do. If only she wasn't injured! If only she could fight back!

The four men stepped forward, but suddenly one thug was knocked to the ground. The remaining three looked over in suprise. A fist caught one man in the face, breaking his nose and sending him sprawling to the ground. A foot caught the second man in the gut followed by an uppercut that sent the hapless thug into the air. The last thug standing brandished his club swinging fiercely at the unknown enemy. It caught the interloper's forearm with a resounding crack, but it did not deter him. The Interloper grabbed the thug's arm and pulled him into a judo throw, tossing the man over his back and into the ground with a loud thud.

Kallen did her best to move, causing a surge of pain to swirl about her skull. She couldn't tell who this interloper was, though she did know she was relieved to have help. The Interloper's silhouetted body came forward and dropped to one knee. It was Kira.

"Are you okay Kallen?"

Kallen couldn't speak, but she could think, "_Of all the people, why him?!"_

She tried to be angry but her head was swimming too much for her to be aware of much else. Kira took her silence as consent to get her out of there. He glanced over his shoulder as he saw a few of the thugs stirring. Kira scooped Kallen up in his arms and walked away swiftly into the night.

* * *

The day before the Peace Convention was one full of buzz and commotion for the people of Avalon. The majority of the people had worked together and worked hard to rebuild what had been lost. True, the city wouldn't rebuilt in a day, but they certainly did get a lot done.

Princess Lacus threw herself wholeheartedly into the rebuilding of the Capital and used as many resources as possible to do so. The people were given all the aid they could ever possibly need and then some. In exchange the people worked diligently in recreating their little society. This movement of love and peace was something that was unheard of and yet it was working quite well. Instead of wasting their time and effort away, the people did their best to be upbeat and industrious.

It also helped that the leader of the nation, a teenage girl was doing her best to rebuild the city alongside them. She had been getting dirty in grime, dust and sweat and worked just as hard as anyone else. She was energetic and happy to help and serve others. Lacus was a symbol to be emulated. The people looked at her and had new hope. It was almost magical.

Athrun couldn't help but smile as Lacus helped a group of women make lunch for the working men, while just previously, Lacus had been giving it her all alongside the men. Speaking of work, there was work Athrun was supposed to be doing. Athrun moved the whellbarrow full of bricks to a site that was being rebuilt. Construction mobile suits were recreating a building that was going to be a commonhouse. The commonhouse would support many families until homes could be rebuilt or restored.

After dumping the cement blocks Athrun wiped away the sweat from his brow. He turned when he heard someone calling his name.

"Athrun Zala!"

It was a girl, one of Kira's friends! Athrun jogged over to meet her, "Hey, Miriallia right?"

Miriallia nodded, "Sir Zala! Have you seen Kira?"

Athrun frowned, "No. He's not with you?"

Miriallia shook her head, "No, we got seperated after the attack. Sai said that the last time he saw Kira..." tears formed in her eyes; she couldn't finish, "We've been looking all over the place."

Athrun felt a tug at his heart. _"All this time I haven't thought about Kira at all! I hope he's okay..."_

He smiled at her trying to be positive, like Lacus was, "I'm sure he's fine. Kira is pretty resourceful. Just look for him where people need help in some way. He'll be there."

Miriallia attempted to smile, "Yeah, you're right..."

Athrun offered her a water bottle, "Are you thirsty?"

"No, thank you." she shook her head, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Tolle came jogging up behind, "Hey Mir, there you are. Oh, Sir Athrun!"

Tolle kind of went rigid at the sight of Athrun, not knowing if he should salute, bow or just act casual. He went with the bow.

Athrun smiled, "You know, you don't have to bow. I am your age."

"Yeah but, you're a knight!" Tolle stated, a little exasperated.

Athrun shook his head smiling, "Doesn't make me any more special than you."

Tolle wondered about that but dismissed quickly, remembering his purpose in being here, "So no luck on Kira?"

Miriallia turned to face him, "No, Atrhun hasn't seen him either."

"Drats! Who would've thought finding Kira would be so hard!"

Miriallia began to tear up again, "What if Kira is... ?"

Athrun didn't like that thought and couldn't accept it. Kira was too good of a person to be killed like that, "He's alive. I'm sure."

Miriallia accepted that wiping the new tears away. Tolle looked down at the ground sadly.

Athrun decided he would try to lift their spirits, "Come on, let's help out some people. Something I've noticed is that nothing heals the heart more than by helping others."

Miriallia looked at Tolle. He could tell she wanted to so he gave in, "Okay, sounds good."

Athrun outstretched his arm and the three walked towards the commonhouse.

* * *

"Where are you going Lelouch?" C2 asked.

"I'm going to find out what happened to Kallen and lay some of the ground work for the Peace Convention."

C2 seemed skeptical, "Is that wise, Lelouch?"

He glared at her, "Kallen is one of our best pilots and a valuable asset to the team. We need her."

C2 just stared at him, "You mean 'you' need her."

Lelouch was taken aback, anger screwing up his face, "Don't question me witch..." Lelouch calmed down and smiled, "Besides, I can get things ready for the Peace Convention tomorrow. Stick to the plan and I'll see you there."

C2 shrugged, "Very well."

Lelouch fastened his jacket and opened the door, "Oh and C2?"

"Yes, Lelouch?"

"If Akira asks, tell him I'm not to be disturbed."

"Aren't we cheeky." C2 joked.

Lelouch smiled and left the room.

* * *

Kallen awoke in that same hospital room she had been in before. She felt tremendously better, though she did feel a weird warm sensation in her left shoulder and head. She was suprised when she tried to look at her wound and there was no bandage and no sign of visible scarring where the bullet had passed through. She tried to move it and it felt fine.

"No way..." she muttered.

"It's nanotechnology from Orb. It arrived not too long ago."

Kallen was startled, not knowing that anyone was there. She turned to see Kira in the doorway. He was frowning, "How are you feeling?"

She glared, "I'm fine."

_"What is this girl's problem?" _Kira thought. The two waited in silence for a good minute. "So why did you try to leave?" Kira asked.

Kallen faced Kira rebelliously, "Why did you follow me?"

"I was worried about you. You were badly injured."

"No one asked you to help me."

Kira was beginning to get frustrated but kept his emotions in check, "What did I do to make you so hostile towards me? Did I offend you?"

Kallen didn't have an answer; at least not a good one. She was upset to think that someone cared about her. She was upset that Kira was so nice to her. Why should he be? "I don't need your help Kira!"

Kira just shook his head, "Look, if you want to leave so badly... couldn't you have at least said goodbye?"

Kallen rolled her eyes, "Why, what's the point?"

Kira just stood there, hurt by what he was hearing, "Well, don't friends say hello and goodbye?"

Kallen's heart skipped again. Friends? The closest thing she had to a friend was her wingmates but they only killed people together and trained. She hadn't really had friends. She didn't need them, because they just got in the way. Why did he want to be friends with her?

"Who said we were friends?" Kallen asked coldly.

Kira's eyes filled with sadness, "Oh... sorry."

Kallen merely stared icily at him. Kira shifted his weight, "Well," Kira turned his back, "I guess I'll see you around. Goodbye, Kallen." He stood in the doorway with his back to her for a moment. When she didn't respond he simply left the room.

Kallen felt something she hadn't felt in a long time. Her heart started to wrench and her breathing became more constricted. Why did it hurt watching Kira leave? Was it because he had done so much for her? She stared out the window, "_This is stupid! I shouldn't be worrying about something so pointless. I'm going to get out of here and now that I'm healed, I won't need Kira to come to my rescue! I'll rendezvous with Zero at the Northern Base in Iceland and I won't have to think about that boy ever again!" _

Even as Kallen got up, she regretted not thanking Kira... _"Gah! Stop thinking about him! He's not a part of your mission! He doesn't matter!" _She looked around and saw Kira's leather jacket on the chair next to her. She looked at it and decided to take it only because it would keep her warm, not because it was his.

Kallen then proceeded out of the door and on her way towards the military base.

* * *

Kira walked about hoping to finally find his friends. He stopped by the hotel that he had been staying at but couldn't find them. People were out and about rebuilding structures or cleaning up messes. The majority of people seemed to be upbeat and happy about helping eachother out.

Kira saw some construction going on nearby and decided he would help out so he could get his mind off Kallen. _"I don't see why I cared so much..." _Kira recalled catching Kallen as she tumbled to the ground. He still had the scrape on his knee. He remembered holding her and desperately trying to save her life. Kira smiled, "Well," he said to himself, "At least that's one more person in the world that can try to find happiness." Kira smiled. It was as if he felt a burden lift off him. At least he had done some good in the world. That was something no one could take away from him or belittle.

Having new energy and a positive attitude he decided to step up the pace so he could help. He came to a group of men pulling up a wall with rope. Kira grabbed hold to it as a large man in the front shouted back to the rest, "All right men! Heave!" The wall came up, foot by foot, "Heave! Heave! Heave!" The men all sweat as they pulled the large wall up. Even doing this laborous work left Kira happy and fulfilled. After the wall came up the men cheered. The wall completed a commonhouse. That meant some of the people had a decent shelter to sleep in tonight.

Kira helped out other people till nightfall. Plumbing had been restored as was electricity. It was a marvelous sight to behold as everything fell into place. Kira was tired, but very happy.

Kira had opted to sleep outside with some of the other men while women and children stayed indoors. Kira had laid down when a familiar person came up to him.

"Kira!"

"Sai?"

"Kira, I can't believe you are okay! We've been looking all over for you!" Sai seemed very relieved.

"Is everyone all right?"

"Yeah, no one in our class was hurt too badly. We thought that you may have..." His brow furrowed.

Kira put a hand on Sai's shoulder, "Well I'm all right."

Sai smiled, nodding, "Yeah."

"How's Fllay?"

"Fllay is okay. She hit her head pretty hard and has a nice goose egg but that's about all. Where have you been?"

Kira smiled, "I've been helping over near the hospital."

Sai smacked his forehead, "We checked the hospital! We couldn't find you!"

Kira shrugged, "I guess we missed eachother. I tried to find you today, but you all left the hotel."

Sai smiled, "Yeah, we aren't too far from here though. Come on! Stay with us!"

Kira nodded, "Okay. Sounds good."

Kira stood and followed Sai back to another group of people. Sai pointed towards the clump of tents, "That is where our class is staying. Boy, everyone is going to be thrilled to see you're alive!"

Kira smiled, "Yeah, I'm glad everyone else is okay too!"

Sai opened the flap to a certain tent, "Hey guys! I found Kira!"

A buzz of excitement arose as the teenagers raced over to see their lost classmate. Sai was nearly bulled over by Miriallia, "Kira!"

"Hey Miriallia, how are you?"

Miriallia hugged Kira, "We thought you were dead!"

Kira smiled apologetically, "Sorry."

Tolle was next throwing one arm around Kira's neck causing him to lose balance slightly, "No Shadow Legion Mercenaries can even come close to Kira! He's too awesome!"

Everyone laughed at Tolle's joke, generally relieved and excited that their classmate was safe. _"It's nice to be with friends..." _Kira thought warmly. Kira, however, was even more suprised by who he saw next, "Athrun?"

Athrun was standing next to Miriallia and Sai, "Kira, you're okay." Athrun said, relieved.

Kira walked over to Athrun, "Yeah, and you? I saw that the Princess was safe."

"Yeah, we managed to escape the fire. Lacus is something else. She's got the whole Kingdom in a totally different mindset."

The two stood idly, everyone was quiet trying to hear what was being said. It was only then that the two best friends remembered they weren't alone.

Tolle broke in, "Well let's celebrate! Come on guys! Whoo hoo!!! Part-ay!"

The whole class rang out in agreement as they cheered and went about getting stuff for a party set up. Soon music was playing, and people were dancing, talking and eating.

Kira and Athrun eventually slipped away from the event. The two stood on a rooftop looking up at the moon. Athrun was the first to speak, "So, what happened?"

Kira frowned. He related everything that had happened to him up to this point, Athrun nodding and intently listening as he went along.

"So now I'm here." Kira concluded.

Athrun whistled, "At least you're safe. I'm sorry to hear about this Kallen girl, too. How did you find her when she left you that night?"

"Oh, Birdie woke me and led me to her. When I got to her she was in pretty bad shape."

"Is your arm okay?"

Kira lifted the arm that had taken the blow from the club, "It's a little tender but nothing too bad."

Athrun smiled, "It's a good thing that you, Cagalli and I had such a good sensei."

Kira smiled at Athrun's joke. As children the three of them would all go to a martial arts class. Master Todo had taught them how to fight, and more importantly how to protect those that they cared about.

"I never thought I'd have to use it other than in spars with you, of course."

"Well, now I'm glad you did, though you never could beat me."

Kira laughed, "Yeah right, last time I checked we were 5-8."

Athrun teased, "Exactly, I have three more wins than you."

Kira rolled his eyes, "Yeah, well five wins isn't never!"

The two laughed together and fell into silence. Athrun was thinking but then he spoke out loud, "Kira?"

"Yeah, Athrun?"

"Why don't you come with me to the Peace Convention?"

Kira was suprised, "The Peace Convention?"

"Yeah," Athrun explained, "Think about it. If you come with me, you can go back to Orb with Cagalli. She is coming with Lord Uzumi."

"She is? Why?"

"Well, I don't know. But she's on the list. I could arrange for you to come. If you're there, maybe I can actually face her..."

It suddenly dawned on Kira. Athrun still had feelings for Cagalli. "Sure thing. I'll go."

Athrun lit up, "Really?"

"Yeah, of course."

Athrun smiled, "Thanks Kira. You're a good friend."

Kira smiled in return, "It's no problem."

Athrun and Kira then just sat and listened to the party below. They gazed at the sky and saw the stars shining dimly.

Athrun cleared his throat, "So, I'll send a team to take the Strike back. Do you have the password to the OS?"

"Yeah, I'll write it down for you. I don't plan on piloting it again."

Athrun breathed in deeply, "Yeah I know. Sorry you had to go through that."

Kira smiled, "At least I was able to help all those people right?"

Athrun was amazed at his friend and felt lucky to know someone like him, "Yeah, that's definitly something."

The two smiled at eachother and looked to the sky, one star was shining more brightly then all the rest.

"Ya know something Athrun?"

"What?"

"I think that the Princess' view of the world... you know, loving one another and helping eachother out. I think that it could really bring change for the better to the world. It's like that star... a single, shining star in the night..."

Athrun smiled and pondered on what Kira had said. Lacus' message was like a beacon in this dark world. But could love for one another really bring about change? Could people really learn how to not fight with eachother? Athrun doubted it, but maybe there was something to it... maybe this was a start. "The Peace Convention has to go through... It's the world's statement that change can be acheived."

Kira continued to gaze at the star, "Yeah... This could really turn things around..."

The two sat silently, staring at the bright star. Both pondering the depth of the message Lacus had sent into the world...

* * *

Kallen arrived on the outskirts of the military base. She hid behind a wall, steeling herself for what lay ahead of her. She thought it out in her mind first. She would hop the wall, evade the patrols and hijack a Flight Djinn. They appeared to be the fastest airborne MS the Kingdom possessed. It made Kallen wonder why they only had land units for the Shadow Legion.

Kallen took in a deep breath and jumped the wall and barbed wire on the top in one acrobatic twirl. She landed neatly and made her way through the grass and towards a nearby bunker. She hugged the wall and waited for two guards to look away and she snuck inside. She found what she was looking for. She was going to run for the MS but then someone spoke to her.

"Kallen. It's good to see you unharmed."

Kallen couldn't believe whose voice she was hearing, "Zero?"

Zero was clad in a Royal Uniform, a combat helmet and a ski mask to cover his face. He held a pistol that was aimed on Kallen from a distance, "I apologize for the firearm, but it is necessary. I was wondering, my dear, why you failed in comandeering the White experimental Mobile Suit."

Kallen was stunned. Her commander, the man she had come to respect and admire... had a gun trained on her... "I didn't defect if that's what you're asking. I lost the Strike because I was injured. I fell unconscious."

"Did anyone suspect you to be a Legionnaire?"

"No."

Zero stood with the gun pointed at her for several moments, but then dropped it to his side, "Come Kallen, we must leave if we are to make an appearance at the Peace Convention tomorrow."

Kallen smiled, "Right."

Now that Kallen wasn't focused on Zero she saw that there were other people in the room. They all had Royal uniforms on, but they were members of the Shadow Legion. Cerberus was among them. She didn't care for the man personally but he was completely loyal to Zero. He was tall and burly and had a wicked aura about him. He was covered in grotesque scars and had a scraggly beard, of course that was the only hair he had. His steel colored eyes were trained on Kallen.

Kallen smirked, "I heard that your squad got shot down by a single mobile suit."

Cerberus sneered, "It was a G-weapon! That's the only reason it happened!"

Kallen wanted to test something, "Who was the pilot?"

Cerberus looked as if he had a really bad taste in his mouth, "Some snot nosed brat that I'm going to kill one day!"

Kallen smirked. She found it ironic that she knew who the snot nosed brat was. She was secretly glad that Cerberus had been humbled by the boyscout. Cerberus had an ego the size of asia and needed to be taken down a few pegs.

Zero stood in the midst of them, "Legionnaires, let us depart. We have a party to crash."

Kallen raised her hand. Zero looked over to her, "Yes, Kallen?"

"How are we going to escape without being detected?"

Zero smiled, "Dear Kallen, have you forgotten who you are speaking to?"

Kallen looked down somewhat embarrassed. Zero pointed to a new mobile suit, "This appears to have been here as well. It seems that the White Mobile Suit is merely an old prototype that heralded in many new designs. This is a more effective one. This is your mobile suit. Say hello to the Strike Noir Gundam."

Kallen stared at it in disbelief, "The Strike Noir?"

The Legionnaires all boarded their Winged Djinns. Zero approached the Blitz, "Is there anything else, Kallen?"

Kallen swallowed, "No, my liege."

Zero smiled, inwardly, "It's good to have you back."

Kallen smiled, very willing to put the whole Kira experience behind her. "It's good to be back!"

And with that she boarded the Noir.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Well I'm glad to finally get this chapter up! Sorry it's been so long; I felt very unfulfilled and unhappy with the last chapter so it took me a while but I feel much better about this one. I hope you all enjoy!

Oh, and the Strike Noir is from Gundam Seed Stargazer. It is a totally awesome mobile suit that I feel deserves more representation, so it is now Kallen's mobile suit. (I know red is her color, but black doesn't seem that bad either...)

A special thanks to **GS4ever, **I'm glad that I could answer your question, and I'm sorry that the King was killed so quickly. I could have drawn it out longer, but it was meant to catapult the Lacus part of the plot.

Thank you **Whitney-y-animefan** I did go on a spree of writing and came up with several chapters in rapid succession, but since I had a difficult time writing this chapter. I ended up with two completely different versions and ultimately decided to go with this one. I will be introducing more characters as the story progresses. I hope you enjoy!

More thanks to **Knightmare Zeta **and **Astrie123**!

Oh I'm also aware I changed the title of this chapter from what I said it'd be last. i preferred the latter one.

The next update should be Tuesday. I'm sorry a lot of stuff is happening to me and I'll be busy so that's the soonest the next chapter will be up. Thanks for your patience and I hope you continue to read and enjoy! Thanks again! Please review!

**Next Chapter:**_** The Knight Guardian**_


	7. The Guardian Knight

_**Chapter VI**_

_**The Guardian Knight**_

A dark room with a single light hovered over Suzaku's head. He was clad in a straight jacket that was meant to protect him from himself and prevent him from attacking anyone else.

Suzaku's eyes were dull and listless. His internal struggles and questions had rendered him exhausted, in spirit and in body. He looked up as a man stepped half way into the light. Suzaku frowned, "Sir Liam... to what do I owe this... pleasure."

Sir Liam's face contained complete revulsion for the creature that sat in front of him. "So, Kururugi. Why did you do it?"

Suzaku sighed. This same question had been asked alot. He could only give one answer, "I don't remember..."

Sir Liam slapped Suzaku across the cheek. His face was mottled with rage, "You killed His Majesty and you can't even remember why!!!"

Suzaku turned his head away. Sir Liam's chest was heaving up and down attempting to regain control again. Suzaku spoke quietly, "Sir Liam... I loved the King. He was like a father to me since I had lost mine. He took me in. He made me a Knight. He gave me purpose and direction... So please... tell me..." Suzaku faced Sir Liam, eyes filled with genuine tears, "Why did I kill my father!?"

Sir Liam couldn't believe what he was hearing. Another slap resounded in the room as Suzaku fell with his chair hitting the ground hard. Sir Liam stood over him, "You killed His Majesty and you think you deserve sympathy!!!"

A small whoosh sound was all that was heard next. Sir Liam's face contorted into a suprised and agonized look. A hole had appeared in his chest, an oozing crimson liquid beginning to stain his uniform. He fell to his knees, letting out his last breath and tumbled to the ground face first. Suzaku's eyes grew wide as he witnessed the horror.

Another man appeared in the light creating a silhouette, so none of the man's features could be seen. The man had an older, somewhat ridiculous voice and he whispered, "Suzaku Kururugi? Would you like to find out the real reason you were 'forced' to kill his Majesty Siegel Clyne?"

Suzaku's eyes registered what was being said. It all made sense! He was forced to kill his Majesty! But by who? And how? Suzaku desperately wanted the answers to those questions, "Yes! Yes I do!"

The man smiled and drew out a long knife. He cut the straps to the straight jacket, freeing Suzaku. The man had silver hair, but was bald at the top. He wore dark circular glasses that covered his eyes completely. He wore a long pointy beard and looked like a crazy scientist Suzaku had seen somewhere before. His skin was wrinkly and shone signs of aging. The man smiled at Suzaku, "I have all the answers to your questions; if you want them of course. All you must do is come with me..."

Suzaku had already made his decision, "I'll come."

The man simply smiled, "Good."

* * *

Kira had said his goodbyes to his classmates as he boarded the shuttle that would take the Princess, Athrun and him to the World Peace Convention. He waved to his friends as they saw him off.

"Be safe Kira!" Miriallia jumped up and down flailing her arms.

"Yeah, don't scare us again!" Sai waved, smiling.

Tolle made a peace sign, while Fllay waved too, "Thanks for everything Kira!"

Kira waved one last time as he stepped onto the shuttle. Kira was right behind Lacus and Athrun so he got caught in the press' photos and video footage. The flashing lights and large crowds of people unsettled him.

The shuttle would take the Princess and her escort of Knights and Noblemen to the World Peace Convention, which was to be held in the United States of America. Out of all the nations, the US was the most stable among them, besides Orb. Unfortunately, Russia and the Chinese Union would not participate in the convention if Orb hosted it, so the US was decided on.

Athrun sat next to Kira, "Are you nervous?"

Kira chuckled, smiling, "Is it that obvious?"

"Don't worry about anything. This is Lacus we are talking about. You've met her and have already hung out with her. That was only several days ago."

Kira shook his head, "Yeah but that was before... well everything. Now she's the leader of a nation."

Athrun was going to speak but was interrupted by Princess Lacus, "Are you both talking about me?"

Athrun was stunned, "Lady Lacus, we were just..."

Lacus raised a hand to silence him, smiling, "Mr. Yamato was it?"

Kira went rigid at being addressed by Lacus, "Uh, your Highness!" He bowed fervently.

Lacus giggled, "There's no need for that Kira, we're friends aren't we?"

Kira was taken aback a bit by her warmness, but could tell it was genuine, "Uh, thank you."

Lacus smiled and playfully punched Athrun's arm, "So why were you boys talking about me?"

Athrun blushed slightly, "Well, I, uh..."

Kira and Lacus laughed at that. It was amazing to Kira how warm Lacus could be. She really was a positive person and it rubbed off on people. The three began to sit and converse together.

Lacus turned to Kira, "So Athrun has told me what you have done in the last couple days. On behalf of all Avalon, and her people, I would like to thank you for your services. You have been a guardian to the helpless and protected them with much courage and strength. Also, you went further than that and helped rebuild this broken city. Thank you!"

Kira blushed, not being used to so much praise, but became somewhat sad at remembering that he had piloted a MS and ended other peoples' lives. Lacus could see the pain in his eyes and she laid a hand on his, "Kira?" She said staring into his eyes, tears in her own, nevertheless she was smiling, "I know that war is a terrible thing, but you saved hundred's of peoples' lives that day. With that one act, those people you saved will have hope for a better tomorrow. You gave them that hope. Thank you... I know that's all I can say, but thank you."

Lacus' words paralleled what Kira had thought about Kallen just yesterday. He hadn't only saved her, but many other people as well. They all had a chance to find happiness and live better lives. Kira had protected that; he had protected them. Suddenly, the pain was ebbing away and was replaced by a warmth inside. He looked into Lacus' eyes, "Thank you... Princess."

Lacus smiled warmly, "Thank you for what? I didn't do anything."

Kira shook his head, "No, you helped a lot. I think I understand a little more now. I mean, I still have questions... but I think it'll be easier for me to find an answer."

Lacus smiled, "I'm glad."

A nobleman that was also on the flight approached the teens, "Your Highness, the other Noblemen are ready to discuss our platform for the Peace Convention. Your presence is required."

Lacus sighed, "Well, a Princess' work is never done. If you'll excuse me Kira, Athrun."

Both Athrun and Kira stood up in respect. Kira smiled, "Thank you again."

Lacus smiled and turned and followed the nobleman out. Athrun and Kira sat down again and fell into silence. Kira looked out his window to see the huge crowds of people and reporters that were being escorted away by flight crews. The Shuttle doors were closed. A voice came on the intercom, "This is Captain Dane McGregor, of the shuttle, 'Zen', please, put on all safety straps as we prepare to move towards the mass driver. We will be lifting off in approximately six minutes. Thank you for your time."

The two teenagers buckled up as they felt the craft begin to move. Kira started to think to himself, "_Space. It's so quiet and peaceful up there. War hasn't touched space at all. It's clean. It's beautiful. Hmm..."_

The shuttle eventually found itself on the mass driver. Captain McGregor spoke again, "All right folks. We are preparing to lift off into space. At this time all personnel please find your seats and buckle in. We are lifting of in T-minus twenty-five seconds."

A countdown then begun at the control tower. The time counted down till it hit zero, McGregor punched the throttle. The mass driver came to life as the shuttle began to tear down the track. It zoomed forward, going faster and faster. Until the shuttle was in the air. suspended by its velocity and soaring to the sky like an eagle. Dane proceeded to hit the extra boosters. The rockets came to life and propelled the craft upward until the neared the edge of the atmosphere. The rockets were jettisoned and the shuttle finally entered space. The fierce velocity that kept everyone pinned to their seats was now replaced by a feeling of weightlessness. Dane wiped the sweat that had formed on his brow. Lifting off always had the potential to go horribly wrong but it went smoothly this time.

"All right everyone, this is your Captain speaking," Dane breathed, "We are now in space, neutral zone 67-899+ZY00 Delta, we will skim the orbit for approximately half an hour and land in Washington DC, United States of America. You are free to roam about the cabin for now." He switched off the intercom and laid back in his chair. He thumbs upped the pilot next to him.

Lacus and the small group of noblemen all sat and reviewed the Avalon's stance on matters that Siegel Clyne had initially created. Lacus had to have things explained to her multiple times and sometimes she would get frustrated that she couldn't understand it all. She did her best to put on a strong face, but it could all be very confusing at times.

"My Lady, perhaps you should take a break." One nobleman said.

However, Lacus was determined to do her best, "No, I will continue. I need to know all of this if the Peace Convention will be a success."

The Duke of France, a handsome man, smiled, "Princess, please, do not forget that we are here to help you. The future of our nation does not solely rest on your shoulders. We are all here, because we can contribute. Is it not so? Oui, or no?"

Lacus smiled at the noblemen, "I apologize. I will in the future rely on all of your strength. I guess I thought I had to do everything..."

The Duke of Spain was usually a cold man, but he smiled, "I am relieved to see that you will listen to us. We are only here to help you, your Majesty."

Lacus smiled at them, but on the inside she was very tired. She worried about Meer. She hadn't been the same ever since their father was murdered by Suzaku... Suzaku. That was another problem. She didn't know what to do. She never wanted to see him again and she knew the law. He would have to be put to death. But, it pained her greatly to say that. Suzaku had been like a brother to her and Meer. He had lost his parents when he was young, but her Father took him in and put him under the stewardship of the Knight Andrew Waltfeld. Her father had at many times taken Suzaku aside and talked. He even played with the boy on occasion, and later when Suzaku came of age Dad sent Suzaku to train to become a Knight. He became Meer's Knight.

Lacus also hurt when Sir Waltfeld's loyalty was questioned. Lacus had overridden the Nobles so that Waltfeld could continue serving as General for the Royal Army. She did not, no, could not believe that Sir Waltfeld could do such a thing! But then again, she didn't expect Suzaku to turn on them either...

Lacus refocused her attention on the Noblemen in front of her. They were speaking about the guidelines to the proposed plan and the role of their country in that role. She listened intently and did her best to understand the politics of it all. It really hurt her head. Oh, how she missed those days of innocence...

* * *

Meer lay in bed. Her curtains were drawn shut so darkness still permeated the room. She was humming a tune her father would sing to her when she was little. Meer had lost all track of time. She had stayed holed up in her room ever since the day of the attack. It was as if Meer was caught in the same nightmare over and over. She didn't want anything to do with anyone. She was hurt. She had been cut deeply by Suzaku's betrayal and then the betrayal of her sister. _"Why did Lacus stop me?"_ She replayed that thought over and over in her head. She replayed that moment. Everytime it made her sicker and angrier, but mostly, it just made her sad.

Meer was about to cry again but pulled the covers close to her and gasped as her door opened. She stared in silent awe and terror at who she saw before her. "Su-za...ku..." Her voice was hoarse and froggy, since she had been crying for a few days and had not spoken to anyone.

Suzaku stood in the doorway and walked in. He closed the door behind him and locked it. He turned to her, just staring. The two simply stared at eachother for a long length of time. Meer had tears form in her eyes. The haze of the last few days of insanity had warped her distinction of reality. She had replayed events so vividly in her mind that some times her recollections seemed very real.

Suzaku spoke first, "Lady Meer. I did not kill his Majesty Siegel Clyne. I was merely a body at that point..."

Meer stared, wide eyed. How could she believe him? And what did he mean he was only a body? He continued, "My mind became the slave of Zero for a moment and he killed your father. Zero is responsible for all of this."

Meer simply looked at Suzaku as if he were crazy. He kneeled and gazed into her eyes, "I have found a way to avenge your father's death; a way to end Zero. Will you help me, lady Meer?" Tears had formed in his eyes and she could tell he was sincere. But how could he be trusted!? Meer broke down into tears. Suzaku grieving in his heart went to hold her.

He wrapped his arms around her. She shuddered at his touch but did not stop him. She cried into his chest and grasped at his shirt. They sat in the same position for an hour until Meer had fallen asleep from exhausting herself. Suzaku picked her up and brought her out the door. The man in black was waiting for him, "Is everything set, Suzaku Kururugi?"

Suzaku looked down at Meer, "I'm sure she will help us. She just needs to have her eyes opened. Like you opened mine."

The man smiled, "Yes... now come this way. We must leave and plan our strategy."

"Yes." Suzaku said simply, "We will kill Zero."

* * *

"What if Cagalli wants nothing to do with me, Kira?"

Kira rolled his eyes, "Cagalli still likes you and she thinks about you often. I'm sure you'll be fine. Besides, I would be more worried about Lacus right now. I mean, you are her knight. Aren't you supposed to be protecting her or helping her with something?"

Athrun sighed, "Yeah, I guess I do. If you see Cagalli, will you bring her to me?"

Kira smiled, "Of course Athrun. Now get going. Today is a very important day. You need to find Lacus."

Athrun smiled, "You're right Kira. I'll see you after the first session. Mwu is protecting her during the second session."

Kira smiled and waved as Athrun ran off towards the Princess. Kira looked to the sky and saw three dots coming in fast. They were more shuttles. He waited around for them to land. Ten minutes later, the first shuttle touched down. It was also from Avalon, but it had cargo of some sort. Kira shrugged it off and decided to try to find Cagalli. _"I'll bet she's excited to see me!"_ Kira smiled thoughtfully.

* * *

Cagalli Yula Atha was fuming as she searched the onboarding terminals. _"Ooh! I'm going to kill Kira when I see him!" _Was all that was going through her mind.

The blonde-haired Princess of Orb, was somwhat short, but she made up with it in spunk. She was thin and built like an athlete, having stayed active in sports and other events for quite some time. Right now her normally lovely face was more aggravated than anything else.

Cagalli searched around her and then she heard him, "Cagalli!"

She turned and saw Kira smiling and running towards her. He was so oblivious and joyous that he didn't see that her countenance had fallen. She balled her fists and pulled back into a swing and punched Kira hard into the ground. He was dazed as she stood over him, "You idiot!"

At that Cagalli turned on her heel and left steaming in the other direction, "Errh!"

Kira was suprised to say the least and watched her as she walked away, "What did I... do?" A large red circle on his cheek maked where she had slugged him. He poked at it timidly, "Ouch..."

* * *

"This, Lady Lacus, is Czar Andrey Petrov. He is the leader and head of the Kingdom of Russia."

Lacus Clyne curtsied for the Czar as he bowed to her. She smiled, "I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, Lord Petrov."

The Czar bowed, "As I am, to make yours. My daughter, Anastasia, is quite fond of you. Perhaps someday you two could meet."

Lacus smiled, "I would love to make new friends! Friendships are what help this world a better place. Don't you think?"

The Czar smiled, "Yes, yes. A better place. Well, I must be going now. My advisors would like one last review with me before the convention. Would you excuse me?"

Lacus nodded, "Of course!"

The Czar bowed, "You are too kind, Lady Clyne."

With that the man walked away. Andrey Petrov was a tall, pale man. He had graying hair and a full beard. He wore an extravagent black military uniform. Something Lacus had feared. Coming in a military uniform in a talk for peace could mean only two things: He really did want to make peace and show it by saying that he had had enough war; or it meant he wanted more. Lacus wasn't sure which one he leaned towards.

Her advisor, Count Gilbert Durandall, cleared his throat, "Should we not prepare ourselves for the Convention? We only have thirty minutes left Princess."

Lacus looked towards the raven haired man with golden eyes. He was very charming and quite intelligent as well. He wanted the best for the people and so Lacus had asked him to be her personal advisor, replacing Sir Liam.

"Very well then. Athrun?" she gave him her arm and he escorted her. The Count smiled as they both left down the hall, him quickly in tow.

* * *

Kallen got undressed from the clothes she had been wearing in Avalon and into her piloting outfit. It was a sleek black material that was form fitting. She let her gaze rest on the clothes she had taken off. Kira's jacket was sitting there like an ugly reminder. She picked it up and pulled it to her. _"Oh this is really stupid... Why do I keep thinking about him? Why is it that I can't just drop it!"_ She growled and threw the jacket at the locker in front of her, with a soft clunk. It fell to the floor and she stood looking at it. She turned and left. _"Whatever, I don't need that jacket..." _

As Kallen entered into the hangar she could see some of the other pilots prepping their stolen mobile suits. Kallen looked up at her own MS, the Strike Noir. This was a weapon that could do some serious damage. She stood thinking about its capabilities, "_Improved handling and Variable Phase Shift Armor. Improved energy for longer sorties, two antiship swords, two shorty beam rifles attached to the hips as well as a normal beam rifle. Two mounted grappling hooks in the hands, CIWS. This thing also has flight ability! This is an amazing mobile suit! But why did Avalon make these weapons if they were preaching peace so much! It's so frustrating to think about sometimes!"_

Kallen clenched her fists, "Those hypocrites..."

Cerberus came over to Kallen, "Hey Girlie!"

Kallen glared daggers, "Call me that one more time, Mutt!"

Cerberus grinned evilly, "I know that you were saved by the pup. You met him."

Kallen's glare intensified, "I don't know what you're talking about. I woke up in the hospital and left for the military base as soon as I had recovered. I don't know anything about your 'pup'."

Cerberus scowled, "Better watch yourself Girlie. I have my eyes on you."

No sooner had he said that, did he find a foot powerdriving him into the hangar floor. He grunted in pain as all the other pilots stopped and turned around to watch. Laughter from some of the other squadrons could be heard sparsely in the large room.

Cerberus growled and stood up, "You'll regret that Girlie..." His pilot suit had spike studs on his knuckles and he intended to use them on Kallen when he balled his fist. He swung at her viciously but she side stepped it. He continued an onslaught of jabs, uppercuts and left hooks, but all of his seemingly well placed strikes were neatly evaded, albeit very narrowly.

Adam, meanwhile had come up to one of the Hell Dog pilots, "Hey Rover?"

"Oh, hey Adam. What's up?" Rover spoke but kept his attention on the fight.

"Who do you think will win?"

Rover sighed, "Well, the Boss used to be a champion cage fighter, but Kallen is Zero's right hand. Who knows..."

Adam wasn't satisfied but turned to watch. Kallen had been backed into a pile of crates and Cerberus continued to press her, though none of his blows had landed. After evading another left hook, Kallen jumped backwards into the air, in a clean acrobatic arc. she landed neatly on the top of the crates. She smiled, mockingly, "Is the puppy getting tired?"

Cerberus looked as if he had been slapped. The whole room erupted into laughter. His eyes then looked menacingly towards Kallen, "I'll kill you wench!"

Kallen picked up a metal nut that was sitting on the crate. She flung it expertly and caught Cerberus right in the face. He clutched his face in pain and when he looked up again, all he saw was Kallen's foot inches in front of him. Next thing he knew it he was hitting the ground again. The back of his head hit the metal floor hard, causing lights to dance about his eyes. He groaned as he was trying to get his bearings. He gazed up and saw Kallen standing over him, a smirk on her face. If there weren't two of her he would have hit her...

Kallen was about to end all of this, but then Zero's voice filled the room,

"Legionnaires! Is this what I have asked you to do! We are on the brink of one of history's greatest moments and you all are standing around squandering that opportunity!" Zero had appeared walking on one of the catwalks, looking down at them all. "All of you disgust me! Now prepare yourselves for the fight ahead! We will be victorious!" He raised his fist in the air.

The Legionnaires all lifted their fists and helmets and cheered. All of them scrambled and moved about quickly so they could get their tasks finished. Zero meanwhile looked down at Kallen and Cerberus, "Tell me. Why did this fight occur?"

Kallen looked down mortified. Cerberus stood holding his head gingerly, "No reason, sir. I just got a bit carried away with the merchandise, except this merchandise hits back pretty hard, if ya know what I'm saying! Har har har!"

Kallen was completely taken aback by the lie Cerberus told. She kept her attention on the ground. Zero continued to watch them, then he was satisfied, "Cerberus, your squad will be the first to start the attack. Q-1, you will be support."

Kallen felt as if she had been slapped. She was supposed to lead the attack. Now 'she' was a lackey to Cerberus. This was too much!

"Think of it as a small punishment. Gain my trust again, Kallen." and with that Zero turned with a fling of his cape, and walked away.

Kallen looked to Cerberus who was smiling evilly, "Better listen to my orders out there pup... I'm putting you on standby."

He turned and stalked off. Kallen glared at his back hoping that her smoldering gaze would burn a hole through him. "Ugh! Why does this happen to me!" She cursed and left towards her mobile suit discouraged.

* * *

The Peace Convention began. It was held in a large circular room with a majority of the world's leaders. The Czar of Russia, Andrey Petrov, The Empress of the Chinese Union, Mina Xing, The Representative of Orb, Uzumi Nara Atha, the Princess of Avalon, Lacus Clyne, The President of the United States, Mark W. Johnson, and other leaders from Africa, Australia and other nations. Each representative had a small council of three to four men with them to provide support and information.

The meeting began. President Mark Johnson spoke first, thanking all of the representatives for coming to the US for this significant world event. He went further on to talk about the ideals of freedom and liberty and how peace is the end result. He then opened the floor for the first representative to propose their plan. Orb's representative went first.

Kira stood outside of the meeting, since he was not permitted to attend. He listened to the voice over the intercom. Uzumi was Cagalli's foster father. Kira and her had lost their parents in a civil war in Japan. Kira was brought up by the Yamatos while the Athas cared for Cagalli. The two siblings went to the same school together and found eachother again. The seperate parents allowed them to spend a lot of time together. Then Athrun met Cagalli and the two got along really well. Athrun left because he moved to Avalon with his parents. He became a Knight Errant, and then was promoted to Knight Protector. He guarded Lacus Clyne, the prettiest Princess in fashion. That was really hard for Cagalli. So when Uzumi asked her if she wanted to be married to a noble family that Atha wanted close to him, she agreed. It was her way of trying to forget Athrun.

Kira sighed. Cagalli was mad that he had brought Athrun with him. Wasn't it the other way around though? _"Oh well..." _ he thought glumly to himself.

Kira looked up and saw the American Mobile Suits starting to move out. "What's going on?"

The United States used a mass production MS known as a GM. It wasn't very mobile or effective, but it was cheap and easy to make. It was slightly less effective than a Djinn. GMs held machine guns in one hand and a shield in the other. It had a beam saber on it's back so it could fight effectively in hand-to-hand combat.

"Why would the GM's be scrambling, unless... No! Are we under attack?!" Kira ran to the door so he could warn the others, but it wouldn't open from that side. "Grrr... why won't this open!"

It wasn't until Kira heard a gunshot on the intercom and screaming break out, that he kicked the door open, breaking the lock that held it. He ran inside and the chaotic room. Kira looked around to see where the shot had come from. One of Avalon's noblemen held a gun in his hand. He had shot the Czar of Russia, who had fallen to the floor. He aimed next at the Empress of China, but a knife embedded itself in the Nobleman's forehead. One of the Empress' bodyguards had killed the man.

Athrun was directing Lacus away from the confusion but then many people were closing in on them. Angered that the Peace Convention was disrupted by such an act of treachery.

Kira pushed his way through the throngs of people to them. Athrun was speaking into his collar. Lacus was scared and ftrightened and confused at what was happening. The other noblemen were attempting to leave as well but were stopped by armed, US Marines.

Kira yelled, "Run Athrun!" Kira made his way to them more quickly, _"I don't know what happened," _Kira thought, "_But we have to protect Lacus."_

Athrun picked up the Princess and ran with Kira. Representatives were all yelling and screaming for their heads. Another knife flew in the air and nearly hit Athrun's head, but instead dug into the wall. Two Marines raised their rifles and stepped in front of the door. A large explosion outside reverbrated through the walls, causing the soldiers to stumble. Kira took that opportunity and kicked one Marine in the face. He turned to the other who had brought up his gun. Kira grabbed the man's gun with one hand, punched the man in the face with the other, and then threw the man over his back. Athrun ran out the doors with Lacus. Kira followed right behind.

The three teens made their way through the hall and at the balcony were met by a Light Purple Zaku, "I brought the Mobile Suits, Athrun!" was heard over the intercom. Kira gazed in amazement as he saw storage trucks open up and mobile suits laying in them. It was like lifting open a sarcophagus to reveal a richly dressed pharaoh mummy.

"You brought Mobile Suits to the Peace Convention!?" Kira yelled in disbelief.

Athrun looked at his friend, somwhat harshly, "Just in case something like this happened!"

"What did happen!?" Kira asked confused.

Athrun shook his head, "The talk was going fine, but then the President was whispered to by a man in a black suit. Baron Grenfeld just stood up, revealed a personal firearm and shot the Czar. Then all hell broke loose. None of us were expecting it!"

_"Baron Grenfeld is a representative of Avalon that fought for peace alongside Siegel Clyne. Why would he shoot the Czar?"_ Kira thought to himself.

Bullets hit the wall next to them. Athrun gasped as he shielded Lacus, "This isn't the time for this Kira!" Athrun jumped off the ledge and onto the storage truck with a loud bang. Athrun gasped in pain. He scurried over to the Savior's cockpit, Lacus still in his arms.

Mwu's voice came on over the intercom, "We have Royals engaging US GMs at the vector above us. They won't heed my commands so I think they're rogue. Perhaps, Baron Grenfeld was working with them!" Mwu's Zaku aimed at the marines causing them to take cover. He smiled, "_I'm not really going to shoot you." _

Athrun gritted his teeth as the Savior came to life. Lacus was in the back. "Are you okay Princess?"

Lacus sniffled, "Why did this happen? We were so close to bringing peace to the world... I just... don't understand. Why do people enjoy fighting? Why did Grenfeld shoot the Czar. Grenfeld wanted peace as much as my father did... it's not like him..."

Athrun grimaced, "I'm sorry." He clicked the speakers on so he could talk to Kira, "Kira, the Strike is in there. Someone is trying to frame Lacus and I think it's those Royal Djinn's up ahead! Help me!"

Kira frowned, tears welling up in his eyes. _"I don't want to fight! But Lacus is innocent! I don't want her to be harmed... Grrr! What do I do!?"_

* * *

Lelouch smiled as he sat in the blitz giving out orders, "Red Squadron take ambush positions at point 2-A. Hell Dogs scare the enemy to the same point. Red Squad will take out the remaining forces."

"Yes my liege."

Lelouch smiled, "_My plan has worked. Royal Mobile Suits of Avalon attacking the Peace Convention and the leaders of Russia and China killed by an Avalon nobleman. I'll take out three countries with one stone."_

"It's done, my liege." Cerberus answered, "All enemies in this area are destroyed."

"Perfect. Cerberus continue your assault at point 3-C. I want the meeting building destroyed."

"Hehehe, with pleasure, sir!"

Lelouch continued his commands while thinking to himself, "_I used my Geass on Baron Grenfeld, telling him to kill the Czar and the Empress when the President was informed of the Avalon MS attack squad, or rather, disguised Shadow Legionnaires..." _

"Zero?"

Lelouch glanced down at the personal channel. It was Kallen, "Yes Kallen?"

"There are two enemy MS that belong to the kingdom. It's a red G-weapon and a purple Zaku."

Lelouch frowned, "Sir Athrun and Sir La Flagga. That means the Princess Lacus is with one of them. I want them to be captured. The White Princess cannot escape us."

"Yes, my liege." Kallen said resolutely. "_I'll capture the Princess and Zero will trust me again!"_

Kallen brought her Strike Noir to life and flew into the battle. She destroyed six GM's in one pass, breaking the American's frontlines of defense and allowing the other Legionnaires to pick off the confused and disarrayed enemy. Instead of moving back she moved forward to capture the Princess.

* * *

Kira stood planted to the ground. He didn't want to fight again. Athrun shook his head in frustration, "Fine Kira! Don't fight!"

The Savior turned, changed into flight mode and left towrads the battlefield. Mwu's Purple Zaku also left in that direction. Kira fell to his knees. The US marines ventured towards him, "Put your hands behind your head!" One yelled.

Kira did as he was told. The Marines were coming towards him but then an large explosion hit the side of the building. The rubble collapsed and buried the marines alive. Kira coughed as dust and smoke filled his lungs and he could barely see. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about how those men were killed. He stumbled over to the rubble. He started to lift stones as best as he could. He found one marine. He was dead. The stones had crushed him alive. Kira stumbled backwards and turned covering his mouth as he gagged, but nothing came out. The Meeting hall was bombarded by gunfire from mobile suits.

Kira gazed and saw flying Djinns approaching the meeting hall. An evil, and familiar voice spoke through the MS speakers, "This is Cerberus and the Hell Dogs! We've been given wings and shall kill every last one of you!"

Kira froze as he remembered his first encounter with Cerberus. Kira didn't want all of those people in the building to be killed. Kira looked down at the Strike. It seemed to be waiting patiently. Kira grimaced as he ran and jumped off the balcony and onto the truck, like Athrun had. He landed hard on his knees and he blew out air in pain. He then proceeded to the Strike and jumped in. His fingers danced on the keyboard and the screen came alive: GUNDAM.

Kira turned on the Phase Shift Armor. The Strike took on its colors of red white and blue. It stood, and Kira noticed a large flight system was attached. _"Aile Strike System. Flight system with beam rifle, beam saber and shield."_

While the Djinns were coming by for their second pass they saw the Strike. Cerberus' eyes widened and then an evil smile crossed his face, "Is that you pup?!"

Kira grimaced, "Why do you still want to fight!? What's wrong with you!?"

"I'll kill you this time! Hell Dogs, line up for an attack run! Kill that pup!"

Kira's boosters came to life and it took to the sky. A Seed burst open in Kira's mind's eye. He smelled that earthy, pleasant smell again, "I will not allow you to kill any more innocent lives!" He roared.

Cerberus' face screwed up into rage and fury, "All right ya little self-righteous... I'll make you suffer ten times over!!!"

The Strike lined up it's rifle as the flying Djinn came at him full speed.

* * *

Lacus frowned, "Athrun? Why did you ask Kira to fight?"

Athrun grimaced, "Sometimes we have to do what we don't like in order to survive. I need to protect you, with or without Kira's help."

Mwu sent Athrun a message, "The Strike is activated. It's engaging six flying Djinns."

Athrun smiled, "Good. Kira is helping us."

Lacus felt a pang of hurt for Kira. She had heard a great deal about him from Athrun and had learned about him from the small amount of time she had spent with him, he seemed like a very gentle person. It pained her to think he was forced to fight. She looked at her Guardian Knight. He was so determined to protect her. But then she thought of Kira. He was like a guardian too. He was always helping whoever he could. Why did people like him have to fight?

Lacus' thoughts were distracted as Athrun dodged a flurry of emerald beams nimbly. He changed from Mobile Armor form to Mobile Suit form. A black MS was staring them down. His computer registered the mobile suit as the Strike Noir. Athrun grimaced, "Get out of my way!"

Kallen glared, "Make me!"

The Red and Black Gundams both sat in the sky, lifting their rifles so that they could shoot eachother down.

This was the beginning of the first battle of the war, known later in history as: _The Shadow Conflict_.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh wow! That took longer than I thought. Sorry I know it's wednesday and I missed the update time. I hope the length of the chapter makes up for it! This chapter is my longest yet. We'll see how you guys like it! Thanks!

I would like to thank **ANN_I_MAY-chic#9 **for your review! It did shake me up a bit and I admit I spent a long time after that thinking about my story and what I could do to improve it. I became paralyzed and developed writer's block (Hence the story was late updating). I'm sorry that it seems like it moves so fast. It's something I know I have a horrible tendency to do. Thank you though for wanting to read my story I'm glad you're anxious. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you for the R&R!

I would also like to give a special thanks to **PinkCarnation^_^417**! Your enthusiasm is greatly appreciated! I'm glad you are enjoying the story so much! I hope that we will see much butt-kicking in the next chapter! **; ) **I'm glad to see you enjoy my story so much!

I'm greatful that you all like my story enough to get this far! I hope you continue to read! I will do my best to get the next chapter up! Till then all of you take care! Remember you can contact me or review if you have any comments, questions or concerns. I'll do my best to answer!

_**Next Chapter:**__**Blanc et Noir**_


	8. Blanc et Noir

_**Chapter VII**_

_**Blanc et Noir**_

The Strike Gundam brought up it's beam rifle and fired straight at the approaching Djinn. Cerberus juked right and evaded the blast. He pulled out his steel sword, swinging at the Strike with all his fury, "Die!"

Kira blocked with his shield. The Strike then aimed it's CIWS on the legs of the Djinn. The right leg was torn to shreds but did not fall off. Kira boosted forward, pushing Cerberus off of him. A shot came in from the right, forcing Kira to evade the attack and not line up a counter attack on Cerberus. The Hell Dogs shot from every direction, forcing the strike to dance in the sky, dodging bullets left and right; a few times, Kira was forced to use his shield to block an incoming shot.

Cerberus grinned. If this kept up, they could easily kill the young pilot, "Keep up the fire you dogs! Keep that unit from attacking!" The Strike did it's best to evade the incoming shots but a few did get through. The Phase Shift armor soaked up the damage but it did jar Kira a bit. Kira knew that if this kept up, he would lose. "I won't let it end this way! You won't kill those people!"

Cerberus scoffed, "You're still living in that fantasy of yours? You don't get it do you?" The Djinn let off a few rounds into the Strike's shield while Cerberus continued his tirade, "Human beings are worthless! The strong devour the weak and rule as they see fit!"

Kira grimaced and then he flew straight up into the sky.

"Damn, he's climbing! I got him!" Rover yelled. He flew after the skyward Gundam, shooting as he went. Kira let off the thrusters, causing the Strike to flip in the air. Kira pressed the trigger. An emerald beam shot straight through the body of the Djinn, entering through the head and down through the rest of the body. The pilot, Rover was disintegrated instantly.

"Arrgh!" Kira yelled as he let off shot after shot. Two more Djinns were shot down and exploded in midair. The remaining three Djinns fell into a defensive position. The Strike boosted down towards his enemies, shooting while he plummeted to the earth. One Djinn had his wing clipped and fell to the ground, the other had his weapon blow up in his hand and take out his unit's arms. Cerberus screamed as he flew up towards Kira, his sword sticking up like a spire. The Strike dropped his beam rifle and pulled out his beam saber. The two warriors fell upon eachother,

"I'll send you to the fiery pits of hell!" Cerberus barked.

"Stop it!" Kira cried.

The Strike's beam saber cut through Cerberus' sword like butter, and then Kira proceeded to batter the Djinn with his shield. Cerberus' Djinn plummeted to the Earth uncontrollably. The Djinn hit the earth and scarred the concrete as it skidded to a halt; the sound of metal tearing and concrete crumbling filled Cerberus' ears. He felt something pierce his side and a searing pain fill his body. He coughed blood out of his mouth, cursing. Then silence fell on the battlefield. Cerberus looked down at his side. A piece of his mobile suit had splintered inside the cockpit and skewered him. He clicked a button and hailed Kira.

The Strike floated in the air like a majestic angel. Kira accepted the hail, thinking that Cerberus had finally given up.

Kira gasped as he saw Cerberus' face. Blood was dripping from his lips and his face was red as he forced out the words, "Kid... I'll... be back... to kill.... you. I'll... send you... to Hades... yet... ahhh...I guess... you... were the strong... er... one..." Cerberus coughed once more and made a wretched gagging noise. His hand came up to the screen and streaking it with blood.

Kira felt tears welled up in his eyes, "Cerberus? Cerberus?" Kira waited for a response, but there was none.

Kira turned off the screen. Not wanting to look at the gruesome sight in front of him. Kira began to cry. Letting all the pain seep out. "Why does it have to be this way? I didn't want to kill..."

* * *

The Gundam Savior and the Strike Noir faced off. Both with their beam rifles trained on the other. Then suddenly, both opened fire and dodged to eachother's left. The two twirled and twisted in the air as they exchanged fire with one another. Lacus screamed as the G-forces hit her. She wasn't used to it like Athrun was. Athrun grimaced. His enemy was good. He would have to use all his strength to fight this Black G-weapon. He was just going to have to hope Lacus would be okay.

The Savior let off another emerald beam as the Noir dodged it handily. The Noir raised it's left hand and a grappling hook shot out, attaching to the Savior. Kallen began to shoot again, now that the Savior had less maneuverability. Kallen was rewarded as the Savior was battered by her emerald blasts. Athrun screamed as the Savior lost a significant amount of power and was shaken immensely. Athrun looked back to see if Lacus was okay. She had fallen unconcious.

He glared at the Strike Noir, "I won't let you defeat me!" A seed broke open in Athrun's mind's eye and he smelled an earthy, pleasant aroma. All of a sudden his thoughts and movements were quicker and more efficient. His enemy seemed slower. The Savior drew one of its beam sabers and cut the cable. Kallen cursed under her breath as she began to dodge the Savior's counter attack.

"How did this guy get so much better all of a sudden! I was beating him just a minute ago!" Kallen screamed. The Noir took a few blows even while attempting to evade. Kallen gasped as the Savior closed distance between itself and the Noir, its beam saber in hand. The Noir drew its sword and blocked the attack, though she was sent off balance in the process. The Savior kicked the Noir away, sending Kallen spiraling to the earth. Kallen screamed, "Ahhhhh!!!"

The Noir hit the ground, but luckily the Phase shift soaked up much of the damage. Athrun knew that he had pretty much won, but also realized he needed to get the Princess out of there before the US sent reinforcements. The Savior switched to mobile armor mode and flew out of the area, leaving Kallen behind.

Athrun hailed Mwu, "Sir La Fllaga, what is your situation?"

Mwu grimaced as he took on both GM's and the Imposter-Royals, "Not so good. You need to save the Princess though! Please don't worry about me! I'll distract them for you!"

Athrun nodded, "I understand. Thank you."

Mwu smiled, "Don't worry. I have a knack for making the impossible, possible. I'll be fine! You just get her Majesty to safety!"

Athrun nodded once more and left the combat zone.

Mwu looked back at the enemies before him, his chain machine gun firing rapidly at his closing in enemies, "Come on! I'll take you all on!" He targeted other enemies and his micro-missiles activated, flying toward them. Mwu was greeted by many explosions dancing on his HUD. He glanced at the radar. He had taken out 16 enemies. There were still 42 left in that sector alone. _"Oh well..." _He thought to himself, as his Zaku continued it's desperate onslaught.

* * *

Lelouch slammed his fist on his chair. "What!? How is this possible?" He had not anticipated Kallen or the Hell Dogs to lose. "Red Squadron support Q-1. Move to point 3-C. Take out the white G-weapon." He contacted Kallen, "Kallen move to point 3-C. Annihilate the Strike! Do not fail me!" He flipped off the communication. He contacted the Stratus, "C2?"

"Yes Lelouch?"

"Capture the Red G-weapon that is escaping to the south. Use whatever means necessary!"

"Of course."

The communication line died. Lelouch massaged his temple as he felt a headache coming on. "Dragon squadron, attack the meeting hall at point 3-D. Zeta Squad, flank at point 4-D. Destroy that building! Level it to the earth!"

"Yes my liege!"

Lelouch frowned at the screen. He hated wild cards. The two enemy G-weapons were just that... wild cards. Oh well, at least he had killed the Czar and the Empress and placed the blame on Avalon. That would create some real chaos. His purple eyes bore into the screen in front of him. The units he had told to move were going into position. But then he noticed that Red Squadron was losing signal one by one. All of them were lost. Lelouch cursed, "Kallen better not fail me..."

* * *

Kallen felt herself shaking. She had just lost to the Savior and a lot was riding on this sortie; Zero's trust, her pride... but what if Kira was piloting the Strike? _"Kira doesn't matter,"_ She thought to herself, "_It probably isn't him, and if it is... I'll make him pay for all of the drama he's given me!" _

Her Noir was coming up on the Strike. Kira's voice came in on an open line, "More of you! Why can't you all just stop fighting!"

Kallen froze. The Noir sat still in the air as the Strike raised his beam rifle, steadying his aim with his other hand. Kira glanced at his machine's condition. It was at 45% power. He would have to make this quick. His pupils were still small because of _Seed_. He focused on the MS in front of him, but it wasn't moving. He suddenly had hope, "Do you surrender? We don't have to fight!"

Kallen's eyes glared at the Strike. She turned off her communications link all together, so she wouldn't be heard, "Kira!"

The Noir came springing to life, aiming it's beam rifle and shorty beam rifle at the Strike. She opened fire in a flurry of shots. Her energy was at 65%. Kallen was confident she could end this quickly. _"I will win for Zero! For the Shadow Legion! I'll teach this boyscout not to underestimate me!"_

The Noir's shots hammered the Strike's shield. Kira attempted to dodge the attacks while shooting back, but found it to be very difficult. The Strike moved back and forth, attempting to evade the enemy's shots. "Why do you love fighting so much!"

Kallen snorted, "You're just a hypocrite Kira! You talk about not fighting but you keep doing it!"

Kira aimed at the shorty rifle, destroying it in Noir's hand. The Noir grabbed it's spare Shorty and kept firing rapidly at the Strike. Kira looked at his energy dismally as it fell slightly every so often; 29% wasn't much at all. The Strike's shield was losing it's protective coating so it was beginning to melt as the heat seared the metal. The Strike threw its Shield and aimed carefully. The Noir was thrown off by the the impact of the shield, giving the Strike enough time to destroy Noir's beam rifle with a precise shot.

Kallen cursed and drew her sword. It came to life as she boosted towards Kira. She threw her shorty rifle and used both the hands of the Noir. She swung hard at the Strike but missed, instead destroying Kira's rifle. The Strike drew it's beam saber, Kira yelled in indignation, "Argh!"

Kallen blocked the attack and kicked the Strike, causing it to plummet to the earth, "Kira!"

Kira jostled as the Strike struck the ground hard. The Strike skidded to a stop, the Phase shift armor protecting it. Kira activated the boosters and got himself up on his feet, but the Noir was already on top of him. "What!?" Kira yelled in suprise.

Kallen brought her sword up swinging, so, Kira had the Strike duck. The Strike's sword arm was severed from the body. Kira grimaced, while the other hand pulled out his Combat Knife and plunged forward into the Noir's cockpit. It bounced harmlessly off the phase shift armor. Kallen cursed as she was jostled in her cockpit though. The Noir kicked at the Strike pushing it to the ground. She used the cable in the other hand to attach to the Strike and effectively hold him still.

Kira gasped, "No!"

The Noir swung it's heavy anti-ship sword and cut off the Strike's legs at the knees. Kira attempted to boost away, but the cable kept him in place. He decided to boost forward instead. Kallen brought her sword up suprised. Kira was going to fly right into it!

Kira dipped the controls so the Strike tumbled down instead, but the beam sword still cut the Strike's head and part of the torso clean off. Kira screamed as the roof of his cockpit was torn off and debris pelted his body. He was made exposed to the black demon in front of him. The Strike lay mutilated and without power. Kira looked up at the Noir. It's yellow eyes were glaring down at him. Kira felt himself lose consciousnessness and darkness overcame him.

Kallen smiled, excited to think she had completed her objective.. She contacted Zero, "The Strike has been taken care of. Its pilot is still alive, but unconscious. What are your orders, my Liege?"

It took a moment, but Zero's voice answered, "He does not matter. Continue your assault on the meeting hall. We leave as soon as you are done."

"Yes, my liege."

Kallen stared at Kira's still form. She closed her eyes, "See ya boyscout..."

* * *

Cagalli couldn't believe what was happening. Her and her father were running down a hallway with other members of the representatives of the world. _"Why would Avalon attack the Peace Convention? Why would Kira be a part of that?"_ She had to find him. She had to ask him herself. Uzumi pulled her close to him, "Cagalli, stay close."

The lights blinked in and out as tremors above, shook the walls. The politicians running through the hall were completely terrified. They reached a flight of stairs that led even deeper underground. The shakings of above eventually were drowned out and nullified. The representatives began to calm down at that.

At the end of the flight of stairs and another long hallway that had a downward slope they entered into another large circular room. The President of the United States made his way to the center and spoke into a microphone, "Delegates of the world! Please take a seat." He waited patiently as the leaders sat down. He spoke again, ignoring complaints and the fear that had a hold on them, "Ladies and gentleman... I apologize for the recent turn of events... It is a tragedy that has struck us. We are quite fortunate that the Czar of Russia is still alive and has only taken a flesh wound. We are, however, struck deeply by Avalon's treachery. We cannot allow this insult to go unanswered."

A roar of agreement erupted in the room. President Johnson waited for them to calm down. He raised his hand, hushing the crowd, "As we speak, he United States Mobile Suit Division is en route to attack and destroy all of Avalon's forces in the area. We are safe here until the conflict is over."

The Czar of Russia stood, holding his injured arm, "I am declaring war on the sovereign nation of Avalon! Is there any that will support me in this cause?"

The Empress of the Chinese Union stood as well, "The Chinese Union of Divine Power will stand with you. I will employ my military strength for the reformation of Avalon. Be at peace, a Goddess stands among you." At that her entourage all bowed to her.

The President of the United States stared at the two world leaders, "To apologize that such a tragic event happened on US soil, The United States Military will help you both in your campaign against these evil people. I especially appreciate the Empress' words. 'Reformation'. We will reform the corrupt government of Avalon. The normal citizen is not to blame for this event."

Some smaller nations pledged their support as well to the superpowers, but Uzumi supposed it was more of a way to officially align with a stronger power and save their own hides. The President acknowledged them all, and eventually turned to Uzumi, "Representative Atha, what will your decision be?" The room went silent. All eyes turned to Uzumi Nara Atha. Cagalli looked to her father. He stood slowly then spoke, "We should not be so hasty in this decision."

An uproar broke up in the room. Many represenatatives were outraged, but Uzumi continued nonetheless, "I believe there are powers working behind the scenes in this incident, though I have no proof. What happened is regrettable, but thanks to the rash actions of certain parties," Uzumi looked over towards the Chinese envoys, "We now have no information on what the motives were or who Grenfeld's real alliances were at all. You acted in a hostile manner and caused the Princess to run away. When I saw Princess Clyne's face as the Baron Grenfeld pulled the trigger, I did not see maliciousness. I saw utter terror and suprise. The representative of Avalon is not to blame for this situation which means, it is most likely a rogue group within its ranks, or a party completely outside of their government."

The meeting hall seemed baffled at this and the Czar was fuming. Uzumi continued all the same, "You would turn this meeting of Peace into the beginning of a World War. We have had two in the past and have evaded many possible scenarios as well. The annals of History is scarred by war. There are people that will use today as an excuse for another war... Why? Because they want more money, land, more power..." Uzumi's eyes pierced the three major representatives, "I will not be party to this. I came here for Peace. If that is not what you all want, then we are done here. I call for an investigation into the matter of the attempted murder executed by Baron Grenfeld. Once this investigation is settled, I also call that this Peace Convention be continued." Uzumi stood still as the room was completely quiet.

This quiet was broken by the Czar, Andrey Petrov, "This is an outrage! You speak of peace when our enemies speak of war! I will not standby and let my Motherland be polluted by treacherous filth! Avalon must be destroyed!"

A large majority of the representatives cheered in consent with the Czar. Uzumi stood silent, and graceful like a statue. He raised his hand again and the crowd silenced. Uzumi's eyes scanned the crowd, "Must I remind you of the Pacific War which took place fourteen years ago?"

The room was silent. Fourteen years ago the Pacific War broke out between the Pacific Alliance, the Chinese Union and Russia. The Pacific Alliance consisted of Japan, the Phillipines, Australia and other various island nations. Japan was the center of Industry for the most advanced technological discoveries at the time. Mobile Suits had originated in Japan. The Chinese Union was envious of this technology and proposed trade amongst the two superpowers. The Pacific Alliance declined the offer for trade, so the Chinese Union decided to try to take it by force. Soon, a war broke out and Russia jumped in attempting to grab some Japanese technology as well. The end result was that Japan was completely destroyed. Cities were burned and razed to the ground. Atrocities plagued the nation and many people lost their homes, families and lives. Japan was now a land of desolation. A home full of pirates and brigands. Citizens that had survived had become vagabonds and refugees.

The Czar sneered, "What does that have to do with anything 'representative'?" The last word was full of venom.

Uzumi was grave as he spoke slowly and clearly, "Many people came flooding into the Orb Alliance after that attack, so I know the hardships those people had to bear. I helped them get through it." Uzumi let that hang in the air, "My own daughter," Uzumi said, presenting Cagalli, "was orphaned at the age of four because of that One Year War. I took her into my home and made her mine. She is as precious to me as any biological daughter I could have had." Uzumi turned to them all again, "Please... All of you, I call on your compassion. Let us not make Avalon another Japan. Let us find out who the real enemy is and obtain facts and real evidence."

"What more evidence do you need! One of Avalon's Nobility lies dead above us!" Yelled one representative.

"We should oust their government!"

"Avalon mocks our intentions to make peace!"

"Orb is trying to defend Avalon! Perhaps they are a part of this treachery! I didn't see a gun pointed at Atha!"

Many people seemed to reason that this was, in fact, the case. Uzumi glared at them all and raised his voice. He was like a lion roaring in front of them, "Put no such evil on me or my country! We have worked harder than all of you for Peace! We are the only reason that 'you' are all gathered here today! We have helped you with humanitarian aid when natural disasters strike or your wars render you useless! We have developed nanotechnology that has advanced medical science beyond anything we had ever dreamed of! If any of you challenge my integrity, make it known now!" Uzumi slammed his fist on the table, adding emphasis to his challenge.

Everyone was silent and remained so for a long while. Cagalli looked up at her father, impressed yet slightly scared at what might happen. The Czar Andrey Petrov stood, holding his bandaged arm, as well did the Empress of the CU. The Czar spoke, "I have lost faith in the Orb Union and have decided to pull my name from this list of Peaceful countries. We have no need to negotiate with people that are waiting to shoot us in the back!"

The Empress spoke next, "Uzumi Nara Atha... You have insulted my country by referring to the Pacific War, as such, in Divine Punishment, I, Goddess Mina Xing shall rain upon your country, Divine Fire." She sat down staring at Atha.

The representatives were in an uproar. President Johnson didn't know what to do, "_I know I agreed to take on Avalon... but Orb? Maybe I'll just let them handle that one."_

Uzumi stared coldly at his enemies, "Leaders of the world... May I remind you that we came here today for peace...Instead, what we have found is two nations that are unwilling to have Peace. They will swallow all of you up if you let them, and they will control or destroy you. Do not be decieved by the Rusian Kingdom or the Chinese Union of Divine Power." Uzumi turned to the President, "Mr. President, I apologize, but I will be resigning from this session of the Peace Convention. Thank you."

Cagalli was speechless as her father turned to her. He smiled, "Come Cagalli, we are leaving. Cagalli left with him but all she could think was, "_What's going to happen now?"_

* * *

"A red mobile suit is coming in fast portside!"

C2 smiled, "Very well, release five Harpoon missiles."

The Weapons Engineer saluted, "Yes Ma'am!"

Athrun was piloting the Savior in mobile armor mode so it resembled a futuristic fighter plane instead of anything else. His radar caught the five incoming missiles. "What the? There isn't any thing nearby is there?"

He did his best to use his visual screen and saw a large black airship in the distance. "The Shadow Legion is behind this?" Athrun breathed.

The warning signals brought him back to life. The Savior changed into its MS form. His CIWS came alive and his beam rifle shot as well. The harpoon missiles travelled far enough apart that if one exploded, it wouldn't harm the other's progress. It was also focused on tracking Ion readings, which course through Mobile Suits, especially those with Phase Shift Armor.

The Savior shot down one after another but the last one broke through. Athrun grimaced, "Guess I'm using the trump card." The Savior had two long rods that hung on its back come over it's shoulder and release a large red colored plasma beam of energy. The Two streams caught the last missile and it exploded before reaching him. Athrun smiled, "They'll have to do better than that!" The _Amfortas _was the most powerful weapon the Savior possessed and Athrun was disappointed to unveil it in such a matter.

C2 smiled, "That's new. Fire the Hydra Cannon."

The Weapons Engineer gulped but did as he was told. A large cannon revealed itself from the body of the Stratus and targeted the Savior. It fired a mix of colors in a blinding beam of energy.

Athrun's eyes went wide, "What the hell!?" The Savior changed into an MA and flew away from the beam. Even though the beam did not touch his mobile suit, a gust of hot wind blew the Savior off balance and sent him spinning out of control. The Savior changed back to MS suit form and attempted to steady itself with boosts and the spinning of its body.

Athrun grimaced, "What is this?!" Athrun struggled to gain control over the Mobile Suit but it seemed hopeless to him.

C2 was about to continue her attack but then a tech yelled frantically, "Incoming shots from below! It appears to be the US Anti-Air Positron Cannons!"

C2 grimaced, "Evade to port and then climb. We don't want to be in range of those weapons."

Athrun saw Red Beams of Energy go up like spires, attempting to reach the foregin Airship. He finally gained control now that the Hydra Cannon wasn't shooting at him and transformed back to Mobile Armor mode and sped off. Red Spires then attempted to pierce him as well. He adroitly evaded the attacks and made his way out of US airspace. Athrun grimaced, "_I think I have enough energy to make it to the Avalon Navy. We can land on the Thirteenth Royal Fleet if they're where I think they are._" And with that, Athrun left, with the Princess safely intact.

* * *

Mwu was escorted by a group of Marines and brought to a group of prisoners. The Marine behind him pushed Mwu forward with the point of his rifle, "Get in line with them!"

Mwu stumbled forward. He turned back and grinned, "Hey, hey, hey, easy with the merchandise. You'll upset a lot of young ladies if I come back with any bruises."

The Marine used the butt of his rifle to send Mwu sprawling to the ground, "Shut your pie hole, scumbag!"

Mwu spit out the blood and dirt that had gotten into his mouth, "Well, somebody got out on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Maybe you should tell your commander to give you a kiss after he screws you!" Mwu smiled broadly, while some of the other marines laughed. The Marine that he insulted used his rifle in full swing, catching Mwu in the jaw, sending him tumbling into the ground. Mwu could only concentrate on the searing pain he was experiencing.

Mwu did his best to get up and fall in line with everyone else. He stared at the Marine. At first he was glaring, but then smiled, blowing the marine a kiss. The marine lunged at him, but the other marines held him back. "Come on man, he's not worth it!"

"No! I'll kill him! I'll kill him!" the insulted Marine scrambled.

"What the Hell is going on here?!" A sharp femal voice yelled.

The one marine, who didn't have his hands full, saluted, "Sorry Captain Pheonix. One of the prisoners riled up Jackson."

Captain Cheyenne Pheonix was of Native American descent. She was a handsome woman that was well built. She was stern and strong. She had pure black hair and dark bronze skin. Her eyes were a light brown that had a piercing aura to them. "Pvt Jackson!"

Jackson stopped struggling and came to attention, "Yes Ma'am!"

She stared him down, "I don't need to put you on Latrine duty, do I?"

Jackson gulped, "No, Ma'am!"

Pheonix glanced at the prisoners, "Let me guess. Its the blonde one with the bloody face that was giving your troubles."

Jackson glanced over, "Yes Ma'am. How did you know, Ma'am?"

She smiled, "That's Sir Mwu La Fllaga. Ace of Avalon and former Knight of Siegel Clyne. He's a bit of a joke."

Mwu scoffed at that, "Hey! I resent that!"

Her eyes pierced him, "I'll have no more words from you, Mr. La Fllaga!"

"It's Sir, La Fllaga to you, ma'am."

Her eye twitched, "Take the prisoners away. Load them into the truck."

The marined saluted, "Ma'am! Yes Ma'am!"

She saluted back and started to leave but stopped, "Oh and La Fllaga? Your white mobile suit was destroyed. There was no body inside the remains of the cockpit so we believe that the pilot was vaporized or is on the run. If it's the latter you'll be seeing your comrade soon enough." and with that she walked off.

Mwu grimaced, "_Good luck, kid."_

* * *

Lelouch frowned, "All units retreat to the Stratus. The US is reasserting their presence. We will deal with them at a later time."

A unison of live chatter could be heard from the squad leaders, "Yes, my liege!"

Kallen contacted Zero, "My Liege, the building has been levelled."

Lelouch smiled, "Good Kallen. Return to the Stratus. You have earned my trust again."

Kallen smiled, "I'm honored, my liege."

With that Lelouch cut out of the communication. Kallen sat in her cockpit feeling cold. "I wonder if Kira will be okay... Grrr... what do I care! I whooped that boyscout!"

Still, Kallen couldn't shake that uneasy feeling that welled up inside her. The Noir boosted back, using what little energy it had left to return to the Stratus.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well here's another chapter! I hope you all enjoy! I'm sorry about the Peace Convention part. It was extremely difficult for me to write about it! I don't know why! I'll see what I can do in the future... I hope it wasn't confusing and that you liked it!

No reviews this time around... I will thank all of you that have read this story up this point though. Thank you for your time and support! **: )**

Feel free to review, comment, or message me! I'm always open to what you have to say!

_**Next Chapter:**_ _**Kira and Akira**_


	9. Kira and Akira

**Chapter VIII**

_**Kira and Akira**_

Kira woke up in a white room. He was in a white bed, and wearing white clothes. On the white table next to him, sat a white vase with a white carnation placed in it. Across from him was the only thing with color. A window; outside the window was beautiful scenery of a green pinewood forest on a mountain top. _"Where am I? Am I... dead? Why is everything... white?"_ Kira thought to himself.

Kira looked about and attempted to get out of bed. He felt great! The last thing he remembered was fighting the Black Gundam that looked like the Strike. "Oh yeah... I lost. So, maybe... I am dead?" Kira whispered to himself.

Kira found a door and walked over to it, ignoring that he was barefooted. He opened it and looked into the hallway. He was greeted with more white and not one living soul in sight. He exited the room. "Hello?" Kira yelled out, "Is anyone there?"

Kira was greeted with another door opening. A young man, about Kira's age stepped out. "Oh you're awake! The Doctor said you'd be waking up soon."

Kira was confused, "What? The Doctor? Who is that? Who are you? Where am I?"

The boy smiled, "That's a lot of questions, but it's understandable. My name is Suzaku Kururugi. I'll bring you to the doctor. He'll answer everything else for you."

Kira was suprised, "You mean, Sir Suzaku Kururugi?"

"Yes. I am the Second Princess' knight." Suzaku answered simply.

"Who is this doctor?" Kira asked.

"He is the founder of this place."

"What is this place?"

Suzaku smiled, "Didn't I tell you that he would answer that?"

Kira felt a little sheepish, "Oh, right. So where is he?"

"Come with me, mister?"

Kira stumbled, "Uh, Kira; Kira Yamato."

"Right, come on Kira."

Suzaku led Kira down the hall. Suzaku was dressed in a white uniform of some kind, but it wasn't any uniform Kira had ever seen. Kira was led to a circular door that opened. Suzaku stepped inside, "Doctor! Kira is awake!"

As Kira stepped in all he could think of was how amazing the room was. It was a dome. A large tree sat in the center of it with water encircling the tree and breaking off into tiny man made streams of crystal clear water. White walkways allowed one to move about next to the streams; plants of all kinds were situated in small islands that blocked some of the walkways. A man wearing all black came out from behind the tree. He was elderly and used a cane to walk about. He chuckled, "Kira Hibiki, it's been a while..."

Kira stared blankly at the man._ "How does he know my old name? How does he know who I am? Who is he? Arggh! Why do I have so many questions!?" _Kira's head started to hurt as he felt a headache coming on.

The man continued to speak, "You may not remember me, but I was acquainted with your parents, Ulen and Via Hibiki. Brilliant people... it's tragic that they were killed fourteen years ago."

Kira felt uneasy. Talking about the past too much usually did that to him. For some reason he couldn't remember much of it. He only remembered Cagalli and his old surname; nothing of his mother or father. Kira waited expectantly for this man to continue.

The man stood in front of Kira. He was a head shorter than Kira. He smiled, "I am Doctor Akira Akira."

Kira went rigid and became defensive, "Aren't you... the leader of the Shadow Legion!?"

The man's smile became a frown, "Not anymore. Unfortunately a man named Zero stole the Legion from me. He did away with me. I am now trying to get back at him. He uses my name for the public so no one knows that he is the one pulling the strings. He thinks I'm dead."

Kira glared, "Even so, do you realize how many innocent lives have died...!?"

"Because of Zero?" Akira interrupted, "14,095 people have died because of the selfish acts of that man..."

Kira felt as if he had been struck. Akira examined him keenly, "Zero is a menace to the human race. I plan on stopping him. I have created a new Organization for that very purpose. I call it, _Sol_."

"Sol?" Kira asked.

Suzaku chimed in, "Yeah, Sol is the Sun in latin, but the acronym stands for Soldiers of Light."

"Soldiers of Light?" Kira said to himself, testing the sound of it.

Akira smiled, "Yes, my Soldiers of Light will vanquish the rising tide of darkness that Zero has unleashed on the world. Sir Suzaku Kururugi, Knight Protector of Avalon has decided to join me, as has Avalon's Second Princess, Meer Campbell Clyne. I am currently gathering those that I deem worthy for this project together. They shall be the Soldiers of Light..."

Kira sat trying to take in everything. It all made sense after Akira spoke next, "Will you join the cause of the Light... Kira Hibiki?"

Kira stood, speechless. He couldn't read Akira because the man's sunglasses shielded his eyes. Something about Akira felt... wrong. Kira finally spoke, "Yamato is my name now..."

Akira frowned, "I apologize, Mr. Yamato. I am sorry if I offended you."

"You want me to fight?" Kira struggled, "To kill?"

Akira smiled, "Of course not! Why would I want you to kill anyone?"

Kira was confused, "But you..."

Akira chuckled, "You misunderstand me. I want you to _stop _Zero, not kill anyone. With the machine I have built... You won't have to kill. With your piloting skills at the controls of the Freedom Gundam. You could be a serious contender on the battlefield and not kill a soul. You could stop the fighting without a single drop of bloodshed. Are you... interested?"

Kira felt trapped. He couldn't think, he couldn't move. Was this guy being serious? How could something be that powerful? Kira thought of how many people Zero had killed. Could he really stop Zero and the Shadow Legion without killing anyone?

Akira spoke again, "Zero was behind the Peace Convention incident. He stopped it and managed to turn it into a small war."

Kira's eyes registered what had been said. Akira continued, "He was behind Avalon's capital being attacked... he was behind the assassination of Siegel Clyne. He was behind it all. You have a chance to stop him... Don't you want that?"

Kira tried to process the large amount of information that was being thrown at him. Suzaku spoke up, "Because Zero manipulated my mind, I killed Siegel Clyne."

Kira's eyes went wide as he stared at Suzaku. He continued, "I have joined _Sol_ to avenge my King's death. I want to put an end to the demon named Zero."

Kira frowned. There was so much pain in Suzaku's eyes. Kira turned to Akira, who smiled, "Mr. Yamato. You are on the world's hit list. Three of the World's Superpowers want you dead, because you helped Lacus Clyne escape from their grasp."

"Lacus?" Kira asked confused.

"Yes. She's wanted for crimes against humanity. It's a completely illegitimate charge but it's there all the same. And it's there because Zero manipulated the other countries without their knowing. Zero is the cause for everyone's heartbreak and misery these days."

Kira fell back. He was a bit overwhelmed with everything, "Where is she?"

Akira shrugged, "No one knows. I was hoping to recruit her as well but I can't seem to find her."

Kira brought his hand up to his mouth, thinking, "So, wait... how did you find me? And why do you want me?"

Akira smiled, "I had an agent of mine extract you. He brought you here and then we healed your wounds. You are a skilled pilot. Your skills could be useful in vanquishing the darkness."

Kira thought about that, "Healed my wounds? How long have I been unconcious?"

Akira looked up to the domed roof as he counted his fingers, "Well, I'd say about... five days or so."

"What!? Five days!" Kira was stunned.

Akira raised his hands, an attempt to assauge Kira's nerves, "Yes, but you are now fully recovered. Your wounds were very grave and you needed time to rest."

Kira looked around, "And where are we?" Kira asked, slightly exasperated.

Akira smiled, "The Pillar of Heaven. A space-station I built that currently houses five thousand lives. It's much like a geo-sphere, except, in a rod shaped form."

Kira was speechless. _"A geo-sphere? Now way!" _Kira thought.That was only experimental at best and now he was being told that he was in a real one! And that it was in space no less, supporting five thousand people!

Akira smiled, "Perhaps you need some time to think, Mr. Yamato?"

Kira nodded in agreement, slightly relieved to have a break.

Akira smiled, "Suzaku?"

Suzaku stood at attention, "Yes Doctor."

"Please show Kira the sights. Perhaps Meer should go along. Have a good time!" He smiled, clasping Suzaku on the shoulders. He then turned to Kira, "Enjoy yourself Mr. Yamato. You have safe haven here. You may even live here, if you so choose to; there aren't many countries on Earth that would risk taking you in now that you're a criminal..." Akira was turning away and about to leave.

"Wait!" Kira called after him.

"Yes?"

"You said you knew my father? Does that mean you were in Japan when..." Kira let it die mid-sentence.

"Yes, I was present. I created the Shadow Legion shortly after that event so I could combat the Chinese Union and the Russian Kingdom. I guess that plan backfired, hmm?" he laughed at his comment, "Anyhow, we will have more time to talk later. For now, you should make your decision. Please, choose carefully." Akira walked away, and around the large tree.

Kira paused, but then turned to Suzaku, "If we're going to go out... may I have some more clothes?"

Suzaku smiled, "Sure thing. I'll get you something to wear. You'll like Eden. It's a beautiful place."

"Eden?" Kira asked.

Suzaku's eyes gleamed, "Yeah, that's what the town inside the Pillar of Heaven is called. It's amazing!"

Kira smiled at Suzaku's enthusiasm, "Okay." And with that the two teenagers left Akira's grotto.

* * *

Kallen was walking idly around the Northern base in Iceland when she heard some of the Legionnaires talking.

"That jacket is way cool!"

"I know! Makes you wonder why someone left it lying about the locker room!"

"Dude! The chicks will totally dig me in this!"

Kallen turned the corner to see the Ghost Squadron's crew sitting about the hangar. The one named Adam was wearing Kira's jacket. Kallen growled as she stalked over.

Adam was laughing with his crew members, "Hey Haggard! This jacket would make 'you' look good!"

All of them laughed except the large man named Haggard, "Very funny Adam! Maybe women would be interested in you if you stopped wetting the bed!" His gruff voice retaliated. The other members of Ghost squad bust out laughing, except Adam who turned beet red. He was going to dish out another snide comment, but Kallen had come up.

Adam looked up just in time to see Kallen's foot hit his face. He went flying backwards and hit the ground hard. Kallen walked over calmly and took the jacket off Adam. The other members stood up in protest, "What the hell!?"

"Why did you do that Captain!?"

Kallen glared at them, "This is mine." she simply held it up, as if that would prove her point.

Haggard stepped forward, "No, that's Adam's!"

Kallen kicked Haggard in the sweets, sending the six foot four inch man down to his knees. She smiled sweetly, "No, I'm pretty sure it's mine."

Kallen started walking away, but stopped at Adam's voice, "What the hell was that for ya' ugly hag!?"

Kallen froze. Adam's nose was bleeding but he stood defiantly. Kallen's head turned back to face him, "What did you just call me?"

Adam immediately regretted saying anything; he did remember what happened to Cerberus, "I- uh I said..."

Kallen was up to him in a second, causing Adam to retaliate. He jabbed quickly but she evaded the attack, slapped him, and swept his legs out from under him, with her own. He fell to the ground hard and she sprung up and stamped on his gut. The air was blown out of Adam as he scrunched up in pain.

She glared at all of them, "No one try to stop me. This is 'my' jacket! No one else's." She swung it over her shoulder and left the pilots of the Ghost Squad.

Haggard looked to the others while still on hands and knees, fighting through the pain, "Thanks for the help, comrades..."

The other's started to shy away, hoping that their allies wouldn't be in foul moods afterwards.

As soon as Kallen was out of sight she pulled the jacket close to her. She felt a huge swelling of pain rise up in her chest, "Kira..." she sighed, "_Why do you keep coming up?" _

Kallen looked at the jacket she held and put it on, "The only reason I have you is so I can stay warm!" and with that she stormed off.

* * *

Athrun Zala was thinking about the same person at that moment. He had that same painful feeling in his chest, "Why did I make you fight?"

He had seen the remains of the Strike on television. Kira had been killed and it was all his fault. Athrun looked out the window. Space was around the station on all sides. Athrun used his weightlessness to turn upside down and proceed down the hallway of the Space Station. Lacus and Athrun had decided to stay in a station that her father had built for emergency situations. It was his last resort and now a gift of refuge for his daughter. A handful of loyal Avalon citizens lived on board. The station was called _Camelot_.

Athrun came into the mess where some of the engineers were eating lunch. The news was on.

"This broadcast is coming from World Wide News. I'm reporter, Susanne Richfield, on the scene in Berlin, Germany. The Russian Army has successfully taken the Avalon state of Germany and the Czar has named it a sovereign nation once again. The word is that he will designate the leaders for the new found country. General Andrew Waltfeld of the Avalon Knights, has been captured and taken in for further examination. That's all here, in other news..."

Athrun turned away. It was too depressing to watch. He then made his way farther down the hall to Lacus' room. He knocked.

"Yes, who is it?" came Lacus' sweet voice.

"Its Athrun."

"Oh! One minute!" Lacus practically squealed.

He could hear her fumbling around and then she finally opened the door. She was dressed in a simple, modest white dress that had pink trims. She was happy to see Athrun but frowned when she saw his face, "Is anything wrong, Athrun?"

Athrun grimaced, "Germany is lost and Sir Waltfeld was captured by Russia..."

Lacus was suprised, but then felt the weight of that statement as well, "I see..."

"What are we going to do, your highness?"

Lacus thought for a moment, "Well... why don't we send a message to the world?"

Athrun scoffed at the idea, "How are we supposed to do that your majesty!?"

Lacus was shaken by Athrun's sudden harshness. His eyes were full of anger, but they softened when he saw he had frightened her. Athrun looked away and started to weep. Lacus changed from being scared to being full of empathy for Athrun. She placed her hand on his cheek and turned him to face her. Tears had filled his eyes and he was trying not to cry. He dried his tears with his sleeve, sniffling, "I'm sorry your majesty... I don't know what happened to my parents... they were in Berlin. And... my friend Kira is... dead... because of me. Because I told him to fight...Otherwise... He'd still be here..."

Lacus attempted to pull him into a hug but he stepped back, "I apologize my lady for my being forward... Please forgive me." He bowed and then drifted down the hallway again leaving Lacus alone.

"Athrun..."

* * *

Zero smiled, "Now white Princess, we have you cornered. In space there is nowhere to hide."

C2 gazed at the Astral map floating in front of them, "Are you sure Akira is telling us the truth... about her location I mean?"

Zero turned to her, "Dr. Akira is our leader... do we not follow our leaders?"

C2 giggled at that, "We both know that you do not want to be lackey to anyone Lelouch."

Zero sighed, "That makes no difference. And please, call me Zero while I'm in this costume."

C2 rolled her eyes, "Of course, Zero."

"That's better... bring up the hangar and get Kallen on the comm link."

C2 sighed, "As you wish."

In a few moments Kallen was on the communication link, "You have need of me, my Liege?"

Zero smiled at Kallen's dependability, "Yes, Kallen. We are going up to space to capture the Princess Lacus Clyne. Do you think you can pull this mission off?"

Kallen did her best to hold in her excitement, "Yes my Liege! I am your Legionnaire!"

"Good. The _Genji _will be launching soon. Commander Azrael will be leading the assault. You will direct the troops in the field. This will be the first real space combat in history. You trained in the simulators though. You should be fine. You have one hour to prepare."

"_The Genji?" _Kallen thought, "_That is one of the first battle starship ever created; and it belongs to the Shadow Legion!" _Kallen felt honored to be on such an important and historical mission, "Thank you for your confidence, my Liege."

"Do not fail me, Kallen." Zero said plainly as he turned the communication line off.

Zero turned to C2, "Meanwhile, we shall do our best to mend my blunder."

C2 began to pull out a cheese pizza, "You mean your failed assassination attempts on the Empress and the Czar? That will be very difficult now that they know they are targets."

Zero smiled, "Yes, but I'm sure I can think of something." It secretly irked Lelouch to no end thinking that his assassination attempts had failed. _"I should have used Geass on someone that could actually shoot well. Oh well,"_ Zero chuckled to himself, "_Even Geass has limitations."_

C2 took a bite of her pizza, "If you say so, Lelouch."

Zero turned to her, "What did I say about that calling me that!?"

* * *

Azrael gave Kallen the creeps. He kept himself groomed nicely, but his personality was sleezy and well... creepy. Azrael was thin and a pretty boy. He had blonde hair that he kept parted and blue eyes. Personally, Kallen thought Azrael was a fan of Adolf Hitler, though she kept that to herself. Azrael smiled at her, sending shivers up her spine, "Lady Kallen, I'm pleased to see that Lord Zero put you and I together. I'll enjoy working, 'close', to you."

Kallen's eyes glared at him when he broke her personal bubble, "Back off Azrael..."

He smiled, "Touchy! I'll have fun with you."

"I'd hate to kill my commanding officer before the mission even began." Kallen put on her playful voice, but she was completely serious.

Azrael's smile dropped, "Very well. But I guess you don't know..."

At that moment Zero came on the overhead screen, "Commander Azrael."

Azrael did not come to attention at all, "Ah, Zero. I was just telling Kallen..."

"That she is your superior? You will listen to her instructions. She is leader of this operation. I will be busy so I leave the mission in her hands."

Kallen's breath shortened, "I won't fail you, my liege."

"I know Kallen. Oh and Azrael?"

He seemed bored, "Yes?"

"Three more pilots will be accompanying you. Their names are Sting, Auel, and Stella. Their mobile suits are being brought on board the Genji as we speak."

Azrael was intrigued, "Hmm, more firepower? Is capturing the Princess going to be that troublesome?"

"The enemy has a G-weapon and is now in outerspace. We don't know what other strength they may have, so to be on the safe side I'm providing you with these capable pilots and their new mobile suits."

Azrael smiled, "Sounds fun! Let's get going shall we?"

Zero nodded, "Do not fail me Azrael. Good Hunting Kallen."

The screen went blank. Azrael let out a long breath...

"Looks like you have to listen to me, now." Kallen stretched triumphantly.

Azrael threw her a death glare but smiled at seeing her stretch, "We'll see..."

She glared at him and left the room. Kallen made her way down hall and into the hangar. She saw the three units sitting there. They were all G-weapons.

"Well so much for having one of the only G-weapons..." Kallen sighed.

"You must be Kallen Stadtfelt. Captain of the Zero Squadron, the elite force that serves directly under Zero's rule."

Kallen twirled. She hated being snuck up on. It was a young man that was fairly tall and had short spiky green hair. His eyes were an alarming yellow. He had a deadly look to him. He smirked, "The name is Sting Oakley of the Phantom Pain Unit."

Kallen had heard of Phantom Pain. They worked mostly in the South American division of the Shadow Legion. They had a successful profile. She had never met him personally before because she was in the Special Division under Zero himself.

Another guy came out, this one slightly shorter than Sting. He had long light blue bangs and blue eyes to match. He looked sweeter than Sting, but then he spoke and had an annoying voice, "Hey cutie! The name is Auel Neider."

A girl with blonde hair that reached to her shoulders came running up to the two boys, "Brothers! Why did you leave Stella?" The girl glanced over at Kallen as if she had not noticed her before, "Oh, pretty."

Stella came right up to Kallen breaking her personal bubble, "Stella likes her. She's pretty!"

Kallen felt extremely uncomfortable, "Hey what do you think-?!"

Sting came and pulled Stella away from Kallen, "Sorry, Stella doesn't have... boundaries."

Kallen snorted, "I guess not."

Stella frowned, "You do not like Stella?"

Kallen raised an eyebrow, "What? And why do you keep refrerring to yourself in the third person?"

Stella looked confused. Kallen rolled her eyes, "Whatever... Alright, so you three are going to help me capture Clyne?"

Sting smiled, "Of course."

Auel giggled, "I can't wait to kill some pilots up in space! It'll be fun!"

"_Not another Cerberus! I thought I was rid of that guy!" _ Kallen thought, bemoaning her fate.

Sting started to walk off, "I'm interested to see what Zero's right hand can do."

Auel laughed and commented under his breath, "I bet not much compared to what 'we' can do!"

Kallen glared, "_I'll show him!" _

Stella smiled and hugged Kallen, "Stella likes you! Let's be friends!"

Kallen was flustered, "Hey!"

"Stella! Let's get going!" Sting yelled.

Stella turned, bubbly, "Okay! Stella will go with Sting!" She pranced off to follow after Sting and Auel.

Kallen looked at the cieling of the hangar, "Ugh! What was that!?" Kallen stared off after them. This mission was going to be interesting...

* * *

Kira and Suzaku came up to another door. Kira was dressed in more casual wear so he didn't feel awkward or anything. Meer answered. Kira was suprised at how similar the Meer looked to Lacus, but there was some difference in the two. Meer had more curves than Lacus and seemed less modest in dress. She smiled when she saw Suzaku, "Oh! Suzaku! How are you?" She glanced at Kira, "And who is this?"

Suzaku bowed slightly, "Lady Meer, this is Kira Yamato. He is a guest of Akira's. He asked us to show Kira around Eden."

Meer beamed, "Sounds good! I just need a few moments to get my stuff! Come on in!"

Meer stood aside and allowed the two young men to enter her abode. Meer smiled, "You boys can sit on the couch while I get ready!"

Suzaku nodded and Kira smiled. The two young men waited patiently for the Princess to finish getting ready. Suzaku turned to Kira, "So, you piloted the Strike Gundam?"

Kira frowned, "Yes, but I didn't want to."

Suzaku smiled, "I hear you saved a lot of lives because of your efforts though. That's good."

Kira smiled weakly not wanting to talk about the subject more. The image of Cerberus dieing on the Kira's monitor crept into his mind's eye. He shook it away. The two waited in silence until Meer got back.

"Alright boys! Are you ready?"

Kira had turned and was about to speak but his face flushed when he saw Meer. She was wearing a black tee-shirt with a pink broken heart symbol in the middle of it. She also wore a pink miniskirt and black stockings that came up to her mid thigh. She wore a leather choker on her neck and a gold heart hairclip to hold up some of her bangs. Her outfit was completed with a pair of white gogo boots.

Suzaku spoke first, seemingly undazed by her appearance, "We are ready Lady Meer."

She giggled, "All right! Let's go!"

The three teens left the room and down the hall. They entered into an elevator. Suzaku turned to Kira, "This elevator actually goes side to side, so we are just going to go over to Eden now.

"Oh." was all Kira could say.

Meer turned to Kira, "So, Mr. Yamato, huh? What do you like to do for leisure?"

Kira thought about it. He hadn't had free time since before the attack on Avalon, "Well, I like hanging out with friends. I like to read and mess with computers too."

"What do you like to read?" she ventured.

Kira smiled, "I read books on programming and theoretical mathematics."

Meer stuck a finger and her mouth and made a gagging noise, "Eww gross!"

Kira laughed, "Well, it's not for everyone but it's exciting to me."

Suzaku decided to come in, "That's good. We all have our own individual likes and dislikes."

Meer giggled, "Yeah, but who likes to read about math when you don't have school?"

Kira stared at the roof, "Well I'm a programmer, it's what I do."

Meer seemed interested in that, "So you're not in school?"

"Well actually I am in school; I go to Orb University. But I already practice in programming. It helps me get through school."

Meer seemed impressed, "So you are already on your own and everything?"

"Yeah."

She smiled, "I see."

The elevator stopped. Suzaku turned to the two, "I was thinking we could go to the Cafe for lunch. Sound good?"

Meer jumped on his neck, "Sounds delicious!"

"Sure." Kira responded."

"Good, let's go!" Suzaku said as he led the others down the street.

Kira was thoroughly impressed with the Geo-sphere. Eden looked as if it was a part of earth. You would look around and feel as if you were walking in some beautiful small town. Kira noticed families walking about and teenagers hanging out. Everyone seemed happy and everything was clean. The air, the light, the atmosphere all seemed perfect.

Suzaku turned to Kira, "What do you think Kira?"

Kira was almost lost for words, "Wow!"

Meer giggled, "I know! It's beautiful here! You wouldn't think we were in space!"

Kira thought about that, "Wait, why is there gravity if we are in outerspace?"

Suzaku smiled, "The Doctor created a Gravity generator. I don't know how it works, but it does."

"That's amazing..." Kira said as he turned in a circle to take in the view.

Meer became somewhat impatient, "Come on! I'm hungry!"

Suzaku smiled, "All right Princess, we'll get you some food. Come on Kira!"

Kira smiled, "Yeah, all right!"

The three teens kept walking until they hit the cafe. Kira was amazed at everything he had seen so far, but he was also amazed by the food. "Wow, this is good!"

Meer smiled, "Yeah it is! Suzaku takes me here all the time."

Kira looked at Suzaku, "Sorry, I wish I could help you pay but I don't have my wallet..."

Suzaku laughed, "Don't worry about it. We don't pay for anything here."

"What?" was all Kira could think to say.

Suzaku smiled, "Yeah, in Eden everything is free. You are given a job that the Doctor believes you suitable for. As long as you complete your occupation, he then in turn provides you with food, clothes, and a place to live."

Kira felt somewhat uneasy about that concept, "Sounds... different."

Meer placed a hand on Kira's, "Well Suzaku and I have been here about a week and it's brilliant! All the people are really kind here and choose to work with one another. It's almost like that place we learned in history...a umopokia or something..."

"Utopia." Suzaku corrected.

"Yeah! It's a utopia!"

Kira was taken aback by it all. It all sounded... well, too good to be true.

Suzaku was going to say something else, but his phone rang, "Yes, hello?"

"..."

"Yes Doctor?"

"..."

"What!?" Suzaku's eyes glared at no one in particular causing Meer and Kira to be concerned.

"..."

"I'll be there right away." Suzaku hung up. He turned to the other two, "The Doctor has told me that Lacus Clyne has been found and Zero is closing in on their position as we speak."

"My sister?" Meer asked distantly.

"Athrun..." Kira murmurred.

Suzaku looked at Kira, "The Soldiers of Light are making their first debut. We are stopping the Shadow Legion. Will you help me? Or am I flying alone?"

Kira looked into Suzaku's determined eyes. Kira thought about Athrun and Lacus. They would need his help. He paused as he weighed his decision out in his mind. Suzaku waited expectantly but then turned about to leave. "Wait..." Kira called out.

Suzaku stopped and turned to face Kira. His face seemed to have some misgivings but then he looked up into Suzaku's eyes with a fiery determination of his own, "My friends are in danger. I will not allow anyone to harm them."

Suzaku smiled, "Good. Come with me."

Meer frowned, "Be careful, Suzaku."

He turned, smiling, "I'll be fine. Don't worry too much about me."

He gestured to Kira, "We need to hurry if we're to make it in time."

"Right" Kira nodded.

And with that the two teenagers ran off, leaving Meer by herself. She looked down at her food depressed and worried about her Knight.

* * *

"Doctor!" Suzaku yelled as he entered the hangar bay.

Dr. Akira turned, "Oh, Kurugi, and Mr. Yamato. What a suprise."

Suzaku was already dressed in his flight suit. It was mostly white with gold and green trims here and there. Suzaku was breathing heavily from running the entire way, "Kira agreed to pilot the Freedom. Is my _Seraphim _ready?"

"Yes, it is. Activate your mobile suit and board the_ Messenger." _

Suzaku bowed respectfully and ran off towards his Gundam. Akira turned to Kira, "Are you prepared for this Kira Yamato?"

Kira glanced at the ground, "I want to protect my friends... but at the same time I don't want to fight."

Akira and Kira stood in silence for a moment, until the Doctor spoke, "Let me ask you something, boy."

Kira was taken aback, "Okay..."

"Which is the right thing to do? Do you protect the people you care for? Or, do you let those people you care for be ravaged by the darkness?"

Kira thought it was a no brainer but feared what the answer would be, "If you really care for them, you'll protect them."

Akira nodded, "So protect them."

Kira felt as if he had been slapped. Akira smiled, "The Freedom was based off of the Strike, but when you enter the cockpit you will be suprised by the improvements I've made."

Kira walked away, "All right."

"Oh and Yamato?"

Kira turned, "Yes Doctor?"

"You have never flown in space have you?"

Kira shook his head, "I'll get the hang of it."

Akira smiled as Kira walked away, "I know you will, my boy. I know you will."

Kira came up to the Freedom. It looked a lot like the Strike. It was mostly white, but it's wings were blue and the torso was black. It had some red parts on the shoulders and the head. Kira got dressed in a blue and white flight suit. He then entered the Freedom's cockpit. He turned on the System, "This is incredible!" Kira stated.

"_Let's see. Four times the power of the Strike. Nuclear power provides virtually endless power supply, but it can burn out if used too much. Phase Shift Armor. It can go into a High Mobility Aerial Tactics mode, or HiMAT with its wings. Balaena Plasma cannon that drops over shoulder, hip mounted rail guns, a beam rifle and two beam sabers. A shield to protect myself. Wow and the speed of the Freedom is intense. With this, maybe I can beat the enemy without killing anyone!"_

Kira typed furiously on the keyboard, checking the OS and modifying it to fit his parameters and fighting capability. Akira hailed him. Kira clicked a button and the Doctor's face came on the screen, "What do you think, Yamato?"

"The Freedom is amazing! With this I can protect my friends."

"Then, Mr. Yamato, you are now a Soldier of Light. You are a Guardian to the weak and the down trodden. Please, remember, we are all counting on you."

Kira nodded, "I'll do my best."

Akira smiled and turned off the comm. Kira started piloting the Freedom towards the _Messenger_ Starship that Suzaku had entered, "Hold on Athrun... I'm coming."

* * *

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry that it took me such a long time to update! I have been very busy and it's been difficult to get to my computer lately! Anyhow, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I hope it wasn't too confusing! If you have any questions or comments, please let me know! I will answer you as soon as I can!

A special thanks to all of those that have favorited my story or put me on their alert list! Thanks for your support!

Whoo hoo! The Freedom is here! It's my second favorite Mobile Suit in the Series. Strike Freedom is still number one though.

Please review! I'll update as soon as I can! Thank you all!

_**Next Chapter:**___**Freedom**


	10. Freedom

_**Chapter IX**_

**Freedom**

"There is an unknown vessel approaching from the moon. Orders sir?" The red-head intelligence officer asked.

The Commander, Guilliam Wellsfont, spoke, "Hail them Ms. Hawke."

"Yes sir." Meyrin Hawke responded, "Unknown vessel, this is the Avalon Space Station, Camelot. You are entering into Avalon territory. Please identify yourself."

It took a few moments but a voice responded, "This is Commander Azrael of the Shadow Legion. In order to collect on the bounty of Her Royal Majesty Lacus Clyne we ask that you surrender, or..." Azrael smiled wickedly on the other end, "...die."

Meyrin looked to Commander Guilliam. He could see the concern in her face. Guilliam took the comm., "This is Commander Guilliam Wellsfont, I believe you are mistaken. The Princess Lacus Clyne is not here. We don't even know where she is."

Azrael smirked at the obvious lie, and called on Guilliam's bluff, "Very well then, I suppose I have no further need of you then. You can all **DIE**!!!"

The transmission ended.

Meyrin looked down at her screen, "Enemy Vessel is firing upon us! A large cluster of missiles are approaching!"

"Damn! They have weapons on that thing? R2D2's open fire! Keep those missiles off our backs!"

Two men saluted, "Aye, aye, sir!"

Guilliam clicked another button, "All personnel, this is Commander Wellsfont! Camelot is under attack! Please, all personnel to your stations! This is a code red, repeat, this is a code red!"

Guilliam frowned, _"I hope Sir Athrun can stop them..."_

* * *

Athrun didn't even bother putting on his flight suit; he went straight for his Gundam. He flicked on the controls as the cockpit closed. The Phase Shift turned on and Athrun buckled in, "This is Athrun Zala, requesting permission to launch!"

Meyrin skimmed over her controls like an expert, "You are cleared to launch Sir Zala! Good hunting!"

"Thanks! Savior, launching!" Athrun screamed.

The Savior was shot out of the launch pad, allowing Athrun to start maneuvering towards the Shadow Legion's warship. He switched to Mobile Armor mode for more speed.

Meanwhile, on the Genji, Kallen was poised and ready in her cockpit, "All right, Legionnaires! Attack the base and destroy any enemy units and defenses. I'll travel inside and capture Princess Lacus!"

"Yes, Ma'am!" a ringing echo of Legionnaires responded.

Auel messaged Kallen, "So, do I have permission to kill them?"

"Do what you want." Kallen said disgusted.

Auel let out a whoop like a little kid that was allowed to get a cookie from the cookie jar. Sting shook his head smiling, "All right Auel, lets head out and finish off the enemy."

"Stella will eliminate the targets." Stella chimed in.

"Shadow Pain unit launching!" Sting yelled.

The three G-Weapons launched from the tracks.

"What the hell!?" Kallen yelled, "Who gave you permission to launch?!"

Azrael's voice filled Kallen's speakers, "I did. Sorry Captain." He sounded quite unapologetic.

"Son of a-" Kallen cursed under her breath, "All units, prepare for launch!"

Kallen finished her last preparations and contacted the deck crews, "I'm ready to launch!"

"Umm, ma'am? There's a problem with the flight catapult. It's not responding. In fact, none of them are." One of the tech officers informed her.

Kallen bristled, "Azrael!" She slammed her fist on the chair, "I'm leaving manually!"

"Umm," the tech gulped, "yes ma'am!"

The Noir moved onto the flight catapult and walked towards outer space. "Man I'm going to hurt that guy!" The Noir's boosters came to life and allowed Kallen to leave the ship, albeit, slowly.

Azrael smiled. He had had ordered only for the Phantom Pain Unit to launch, he then shut down the linear rail launching system from the bridge. He was confident that he could achieve victory without Kallen's help.

* * *

"I can't wait to kill you!" Auel screamed with delight. The Abyss opened it's 'wings' and allowed six emerald beams to shoot out along with a red plasma shot from the torso. Athrun managed to avoid the attack and changed into MS mode while firing his dual plasma cannons.

Auel evaded, "Oh you have a neat gun too!? This will really be fun!"

"Is this a game to you!?" Athrun yelled. Athrun thought of Lacus, and how this excuse of a person who thought of war as a game wanted to harm her and everyone else at Camelot. "I won't let you near her!" A seed burst open in his mind, causing Athrun's pupils to go small. Everything around Athrun seemed slower somehow. The Savior brought up its rifle and began to let off a flurry of shots, causing the Abyss to back off.

"Whoa!" Auel yelled in surprise.

"Auel! Keep your guard up; let's take him out together." Sting chided.

Auel rolled his eyes, "Whatever you say..."

"Stella?" Sting called.

"Yes, brother?"

"I want you to take out the Space Station's weapon defenses. Not too much damage though. We want the Princess to survive, okay?"

"Executing orders." she replied.

"Good." and with that Sting entered into the fray with his Chaos, "I'll take you down!"

The Savior blocked the Chaos' incoming shots with its shield and fired back in return. The Chaos changed into its own MS form and looked like a bird with arms. It had the body of a jet but the legs and arms of an MS. The green Mobile suit strafed, encircling the Savior.

Athrun was doing fine evading one enemy's shot but then the Abyss came up behind him and fired his six wing cannons again. Auel screamed in delight, "Eat this!"

The Savior boosted upward, only to be met by the Chaos Gundam again. Sting smiled wickedly, "Goodbye!"

Athrun had the Savior kick the weapon out of the way. Sting reacted by kicking as well, except an energy blade, connected to the Chaos' foot, ignited to life. The blade sliced through the Savior's leg at the knee. Athrun grunted as he pulled out both his blades and blocked Sting's next kick. The Abyss came up behind him and slashed with his beam halberd. Athrun blocked with his other blade, being caught in the middle between his two opponents. The Savior shot off its CIWS at the Chaos body, hoping to disorient the enemy pilot.

Sting cursed as his cockpit shook from the shrapnel; luckily his Phase Shift Armor protected him. All three units broke off from each other at the same time. Athrun boosted quickly away as the Abyss shot his torso plasma cannon. The Chaos regained its composure and flew after the Savior. The Savior reacted by taking out its beam rifle and fired at its advancing opponent.

Sting turned on his comm link, "You're Sir Athrun Zala, Knight Protector of Lacus Clyne! Aren't you?!"

Athrun accepted Sting's hail. Both stared into each other's eyes through the screen, but Sting was taken aback by Athrun's eyes. Athrun spoke, his voice hard, "Yes, that is correct; and I will not allow you to come any farther!"

Sting scoffed, "Big words."

The Chaos shot off its plasma cannon causing Athrun to dodge. The shot hit the space station instead. Athrun turned, "No!"

Auel used Athrun's distraction to his own advantage. "It's time for you to die! Game over!" Auel chuckled wildly.

The Abyss unleashed an all out attack with his wings and plasma cannon. Athrun whirled the Savior and fired his own plasma cannon. The two beams of red lights met each other with devastating force but cancelled each other out. The six other emerald beams, however had taken out the Savior's right arm and wing, along with the rest of his already damaged leg. Athrun was rocked in his seat. He fumbled to allocate energy from other parts of the mobile suits to his thrusters but then he found himself face to face with the Chaos Gundam.

Athrun sat defenseless as the Chaos' plasma cannon charged and was about to fire but then an emerald blast destroyed the weapon, taking the Chaos' arm with it. Sting cursed, "What was that!?"

A black and white mobile suit with blue wings was speeding into view though it was a barely visible unless one magnified the image. Sting cursed, "A mobile suit? What model is that thing?"

A voice came on an open channel, "Attention Shadow Legion Forces! This is Kira Yamato in the Freedom Gundam. Please leave the area at once. There doesn't have to be anymore pointless fighting!"

Athrun's eyes went wide, "Kira?"

Kallen had just arrived on the scene with three Legionnaires in tow. Her body went rigid when she heard Kira's voice, "Kira?"

Auel turned the Abyss, "Who the hell do you think you are!? Maybe you want to die too!" The Abyss boosted forward to meet the Freedom. "Die!"

Kira evaded the barrage of green beams and pulled out his two beam sabers, getting in close to the Abyss in incredible speed. Auel turned pale, "What?"

The Freedom struck, severing both of the Abyss' arms and wings off in one slash. His hip mounted rail cannons fired and sent Auel's Gundam flying back, "AHHHH!!!" Auel screamed.

The Freedom turned to face the enemy Shadow Legionnaires, "Why do you insist on doing this?"

The three Shadow Legionnaires that had followed Kallen maneuvered their Djinns towards Kira, "Don't worry Captain! We'll stop him!"

Kallen snapped out of her stupor, "No! Stop!"

But it was too late. Kira had seen the three advancing units. Kira frowned, "Why don't you get it!? Fighting is only going to cause more misery! Stop it!"

A seed broke in Kira's eyes. On his monitor, his computer took in the three Djinns and the Chaos. Kira unleashed an all out assault of plasma, beam particles and shrapnel. The attack was devastating, but much to Kallen's and Sting's surprise and to the relief of all of the Djinn pilots, no one was killed. The mobile suits had been disabled, their arms, cameras and weapons destroyed, but all of the cockpits were intact.

Sting's Gundam was in ruins, floating helplessly in space. He slammed his fist on the chair cursing Kira. Auel was doing the same thing at that moment.

Kallen just stared at the floating debris that now drifted in space. Kira noticed the Strike Noir, "That Black Strike... it's here..." He hoped that his message would be clear, "Shadow Legionnaire, please, leave the area. You can take back your fallen comrades. Just go and stop this senseless fighting.

Kallen didn't understand Kira. She didn't understand why he could wield that kind of power and still be talking about peace. She didn't understand why fate had thrown him in her way, over and over again. She thought of Zero and his last words to her. She couldn't fail him again. She wouldn't let Kira stop her, "Arrrh! Get out of my way!"

The Noir flew towards the Freedom firing both her beam rifle, and shorty blaster. Freedom backed up and evaded neatly. It was like watching an angel fly about space. Light trailed behind the Freedom's wings as it waltzed about the heavens, evading Kallen's attack. Meanwhile, Kira contacted the Savior, "Athrun? Is that you?"

Athrun was awakened from his stupor. He had been stuck to that spot as he had witnessed Kira dominate the battle field in that new G-weapon. "Kira! Is that you? Are you really alive!?"

Kira faintly smiled, "Yeah, Athrun, it's me."

"I thought you were..." He couldn't finish the sentence.

"Yeah..." Kira breathed, "So did I..." The Freedom continued to dodge all of the Noir's attacks easily.

Kallen cursed, "He's too fast!"

The Freedom began to shoot back, causing Kallen to break off her attack and give herself some distance. The emerald blasts just kept coming at her. She did her best to evade as she shot back. "Will you just sit still!?" She yelled, frustrated.

The Noir dropped its beam rifles and pulled out both of its swords, "See if you can stop me now, Kira!"

Kira yelled to Athrun, "Go save Princess Lacus!"

"Right!" Athrun nodded, as the Savior changed into MS form and flew off towards Camelot.

* * *

Azrael did not like how things were looking at all, but Kallen hadn't ordered a retreat yet. _"Wait. Why should I listen to her?" _He thought to himself. He turned to one of the weapon system specialist, "Prepare the main cannon. Destroy the space station."

"But sir, that would kill all of our pilots out there as well."

Azrael smiled darkly, "It's that or we die. If you won't do it, I will."

The man gulped, "Uh... Yes sir." He began typing on his keyboard, "Hyper cannon ready to fire."

Azrael smiled, "Fire!"

A large white beam hit the Genji at that precise moment throwing it off course. The Hyper Cannon fired in a random direction missing Camelot completely. Azrael cursed as the ship shook; he hit the roof as he was jarred from his seat and weightlessness took over. He pushed off of the ceiling and landed back near the Captain's chair, "What happened!? Status report!"

"Port thrusters have been heavily damaged!" One voice yelled.

"It seems a ship has just appeared on our radar! The attack came from the new enemy!"

Azrael froze, "Avalon has a Starship! I thought Lord Zero had the only one!?"

"Apparently not!" One Legionnaire yelled jumping back into her chair after being thrown out of it.

"Sections 11 through 20 on decks four through eight have been sealed off." another Legionnaire reported.

Azrael composed himself, "Can we escape with our thrusters the way they are?"

"Yes, sir, but only slowly!"

"Signal a retreat! We are leaving!" Azrael commanded.

"Aye, aye sir!"

Azrael massaged his temples, "Zero will not like this at all. At least I wasn't in charge of the operation." He smiled wickedly.

* * *

Stella did not even know what hit her. She had fought many battles in her short life, and she had never been defeated. She was shaking in fear as she gazed out into space at the pure white mobile suit that was in front of her. Her Gaia had been torn apart and her cockpit removed. She was now floating freely in space.

The Mobile Suit that had defeated her was pure white. It had six large wings that were designed to look like feathers; they were HiMAT wings. It was armed with two beam rifles and a solar cannon hidden in its chest. It also held micro-missiles, two beam sabers, two beam daggers, hip mounted and back mounted Plasma cannons and a head mounted CIWS. A white light emanated from the boosters of the mobile suit, adding to the Gundam's smooth angelic appearance.

"Sera...phim..." Stella whispered, awed but completely terrified.

Suzaku stared at his defeated opponent. Then he saw the Shadow Legion's Starship struck by a solar spear. "Perfect." He said to himself. The Messenger had stopped the Shadow Legion from destroying the Space Station, by attacking them first. He glanced to where Kira was. He seemed to have mopped up all but one mobile suit.

He maneuvered his Seraphim towards the Freedom, while contacting the enemy ship, "Shadow Legion Vessel. The two mobile suit Gundams that you have faced today in battle are members of the Soldiers of Light. You may call us Sol. Your days of terrorism and destruction are over. Surrender now, or be vanquished by the light!"

Kallen had just attacked Kira with her anti-ship swords. The Noir swung but was blocked by the Freedom's sword. She boosted back as she listened to Suzaku's message, "Arrogant son of a..." She then noticed the signal flares; they told her to retreat. She cursed and boosted away from Kira tears filling her eyes but she shook them away. "This is no time to be weak!" She tried to convince herself.

Athrun couldn't believe his ears as he listened to the chatter, "Is that... Suzaku?"

Kira felt himself slump in his seat. _"Why does it always have to come to fighting? Why do we always have to hurt one another..."_

Suzaku scoffed as he saw the Legion retreating, "You think you can just run away!"

The Seraphim was going to boost forward but then the Freedom got in his way and Kira's face appeared on Suzaku's monitor. Suzaku growled, "Kira! Move! They're going to get away!"

"There doesn't have to be any unnecessary killing. Let them go Suzaku."

Suzaku glared at Kira. Kira wasn't angry at all, in fact, he seemed sad. That look of silent pleading was enough for Suzaku. He blew out air in frustration, "They'll just have another chance to kill more people!"

Kira looked away, "You don't know that... maybe... maybe they'll change..."

Suzaku glared daggers at Kira, "They are cold blooded killers! Do you really want them to continue to hurt people! Don't be naive! There is only one way to stop them and that is to end their wasteful existence!"

Kira sighed, tears filling his eyes, "I don't believe that. Maybe I am naive, but I believe there has to be another way; otherwise, we are no better than they are..."

Suzaku froze at that. Kira was still looking down, but the lack of a retort allowed Kira to perceive that he had finally gotten something through to Suzaku. He continued, "Let those people choose whether they want to fight again or not. If they do, we will be there to stop them and protect the people they threaten..."

Suzaku cut his transmission with Kira and stared off at the retreating warship. It was infuriating, to him, to watch them leave.

* * *

Athrun landed the Savior inside Camelot and waited for the hangar to be filled with oxygen. He then jumped out and headed for the door. As he entered the station he found that the emergency power was on. "That's not a good sign." He muttered to himself. _"The emergency power means that Camelot's main generator was damaged. That only gives us six hours to fix it or..." _Athrun didn't want to think about the consequence for negligence.

Athrun floated down the hall and to the safe room that Lacus would be in. He punched in the secret code, causing the door to slide open. He made his way inside and looked around the room. He didn't see Lacus anywhere or anyone else there.

Athrun felt his heart begin to skip as he racked his brain for her possible location. Athrun turned around and launched himself through the hallway. He made his way past busy engineers that were patching up energy tubes and water valves. "_Hopefully the oxygen wasn't hit. I wonder how the base took so much damage."_ Athrun thought to himself.

Athrun entered the bridge to find it a buzz with chatter and activity. Techs, officers, engineers were all busy with one thing or another. Commander Guilliam was speaking with Lacus.

"Your Majesty!" Athrun called.

Lacus turned smiling, "Athrun!"

"Are you all right? Are you injured?"

Lacus shook her head, "I'm fine. Unfortunately Camelot's main systems were damaged. Our communications, life support and main energy were all hit by the enemy g-weapon. Luckily the auxiliary power came on and we have about five and a half hours of energy left to remedy the problem."

"What happened to the enemy?" Athrun asked.

Lacus smiled, "One of the Sol units, I believe it is called the Seraphim, it defended us and took out the enemy mobile suit."

Athrun looked down, "I think that pilot is Suzaku."

Lacus frowned slightly, "Yes. I believe it is Sir Kururugi as well."

Athrun turned, "I wonder how he got out."

"I had not heard that he had been released. Of course we haven't heard from home in a while now." Lacus spoke sadly.

Athrun frowned thinking, "_And we probably won't for quite some time." _

Lacus looked up and smiled weakly, "We must focus on more pressing matters at the moment. Repairing the life support and energy supply is top priority."

Meyrin Hawke spoke, "Incoming transmission from the Sol battleship."

Lacus nodded, "Put it on screen."

A woman with pale skin and raven colored hair was on the screen. She wore a white uniform and had a small mole on her chin. Her eyes were a crimson red and while she was beautiful, she did seem very cold and rigid. She spoke and her voice was not exactly comforting either. "I am Natalie Karnikoff, Chief Captain of the Sol Starship, the _Messenger_."

Lacus smiled, "I am Lacus Clyne, Princess of the Kingdom of Avalon."

Natalie nodded, "I am aware of who you are. We would like to offer our assistance on reparations on the space station Camelot. We have the resources available to complete this task. Do you require our assistance?"

Lacus couldn't believe their fortune, "Yes, of course! We could use any assistance you could provide!"

Natalie smirked, "Excellent. I shall send in an engineering team and a medical team and a number of resources so we can repair any major damages."

"That would be a godsend, thank you!" Lacus almost cheered.

"There is no need to thank us; we are merely doing what is right." Natalie proclaimed solemnly.

Lacus bowed, "Well on behalf of all of us who are on Camelot, we thank you." And with that the transmission ended.

Commander Guilliam let out a breath, "Talk about good fortune. If Sol hadn't showed up, the Shadow Legion would have killed us."

Meyrin sighed as she slumped in her chair, "Yeah, it's really comforting to know we are safe now."

Athrun couldn't figure out why Sol would help them and that bothered him but he didn't want it to show. Lacus perceived that Athrun was concerned, "Everything will be fine Athrun; besides, Kira is with them, right?"

Athrun's head snapped at that, "Kira! You're right!" He came up besides Meyrin, "Excuse me," He leaned over her so he could reach the communication computer, causing Meyrin to blush at their close proximity. Athrun hailed the Freedom. He was greeted with Kira's face, "Kira!" Athrun smiled, "You're alive!"

Kira smiled on his end, "Yeah, I'm alive."

Athrun had tears welling up, "How did you manage that!?"

Kira laughed, "Kind of a long story but let me tell you in person. I'll dock in the Camelot and help you all out with repairs. I'm sure you need at least one programmer right?"

Athrun smiled and looked to Lacus winking, causing her to giggle, "I'm sure we can find a job or two for you to do."

Kira's smile waned, "Well I'll try to dock now so I can help out."

Athrun nodded, "I'll inform the hangar bay, they'll send you the coordinates."

"Good." Kira replied. The transmission ended leaving Kira to himself for a while. He looked out over the expanse of space, which was now littered with the debris of war. He sighed, "How did I get caught up in all of this?"

* * *

Kira wiped the sweat from his forehead as he tinkered away at some of the wiring. He was in a cramped, tunnel full of tubing, wiring and other technical devices. He was currently working on the final touches of the electrical output system. He typed away at his computer and sighed as he hit enter. "There," He sighed, "All done." It had been three hours since Kira had docked in the Camelot and since then, he had run here and there to help get all of the Camelot's systems back online. This was the final system that was having problems.

Kira crawled through the maze-like corridors and eventually found the exit. He climbed through and was amazed at how good air conditioning felt. He was glistening with sweat, that had accumulated due to his work in the small confined oven. To his surprise, Lacus was sitting waiting for him, "I heard that you were down here."

Kira, being surprised, nearly jumped out of his skin as she addressed him. He held onto his heart as he panted heavily. Lacus frowned, "Did I frighten you?"

Kira shook his head but continued to pant. Lacus smiled, "Here is some water, I thought you could use some… but I didn't want to crawl in their… I heard you could get lost." She extended her hand, which held a bottle of water.

Kira smiled, "Thank you so much Princess." Kira took the bottle and twisted the top off. His intention was to drink moderately, but as soon as the cool water hit his dry, parched throat he drank more greedily.

Lacus smiled softly, "It's good to see that the water was appreciated!"

Kira gasped as he collected himself, "Yes! Thank you very much!"

Lacus stepped forward and hugged Kira, taking him completely by surprise, "No… thank you. For all you did for us today. You saved Athrun… and you saved us. For that… I am eternally grateful."

Kira didn't know what to do, but she released him from the hug and stepped back. The two stood in awkward silence, "I need to get back to the bridge now." Lacus said.

Kira was awakened from his stupor, "Oh, right! Umm, I need to be getting there too."

Lacus smiled, "Then I suppose it's best if we go now, lest we worry Athrun or the others."

Kira nodded, "Right!"

The two teens floated through the corridors and found themselves on the bridge. There Athrun turned and smiled at the two, "It's good to see you both! Kira, good work, everything is back online now!"

Kira let out a sigh of relief, "Good, now we can rest a little easier."

Lacus smiled, "We need to thank Captain Karnikoff for all of the help."

"There's no need." said a female voice behind them. They all turned to see Natalie Karnikoff standing in the doorway with Suzaku Kururugi behind her.

Lacus froze somewhat at seeing Suzaku. Athrun tensed and stood defensively in front of Lacus. Suzaku was looking to the ground, somewhat ashamed, while Natalie seemed more amused. Natalie chuckled at their apprehension, "Do you really think we mean you harm?"

Lacus shook her head, but when she looked at Suzaku, pain filled her chest and tears swelled in her eyes. Athrun did his best to comfort her as he held her close to him. Kira remembered that Suzaku was forced to kill the King, Siegel Clyne. That was Lacus' father.

Suzaku stepped forward and bowed himself to his knees, "Lady Lacus."

Lacus' silent sobs stopped when he spoke. She slowly raised her head to look upon him. Confusion and hurt was evident in her face. Suzaku choked out his apology and explanation, "I, Suzaku Kururugi, Knight Protector of Princess Meer Clyne, did not kill His Majesty, Siegel Clyne."

That hung in the air, and seemed like a slap to both Lacus and Athrun who was there. They were going to retort but he continued, cutting them both off, "My body has committed that heinous crime, at the direction and will of Zero, Leader of the Shadow Legion. He has the power to affect the mind in ways unimaginable and may bend a man's will to his own, all because of a technology known as Geass. I…" Suzaku choked on a sob as tears streamed his face, "…I was forced to kill your father… My king… and I have no recollection of the event. Please, forgive me for my weakness… Forgive me Lacus… for falling prey to the power of a devil. It was not my choice…and not my will…"

Lacus shook her head, not understanding. Everyone in the room, other than Natalie, was completely taken aback by this news.

Lacus could barely utter it, but managed the strength to ask, "…what proof do you have?"

Suzaku seemed more resolute now, "I have the word of the Leader of Sol. Dr. Akira Akira. He once owned the Shadow Legion, but it was taken from him by Zero. The doctor has created the Soldiers of Light to combat Zero's evil schemes of world domination. He has sent me… as an emissary to ask you to join us in the fight against Zero and the darkness that he creates…"

The room was quiet, but one could tell that nearly everyone had questions. Natalie spoke up, "The Messenger will safely escort you to the Pillar of Heaven so you may speak with the Doctor on this matter."

After a few moments of silence, Lacus responded, "I will go with you. I wish to speak with Dr. Akira."

Suzaku smiled, "Really?"

Lacus did not return the smile, "Yes, I have many questions that I would like to be answered."

Suzaku's happiness died within him, but Natalie was able to respond in his place, "Very well. We shall leave in the next hour. Please gather whatever you need."

Athrun escorted Lacus to her room leaving everyone else behind. Suzaku was getting a handle on his emotions as he shook his head and thrust himself out of the room and towards the hangar. Captain Natalie kept herself composed and left daintily after Suzaku. Kira watched as everyone left or went back to what they were doing. He felt this great sadness hanging over everyone. _"Why does it all have to be like this?"_ He wondered.

* * *

Azrael whimpered as Kallen slammed him into the wall. Her face was twisted into anger, "If you had just stuck to the plan I had laid out we wouldn't be in this situation! We lost the Phantom Pain unit and three legionnaires because of your negligence! Why the hell did you lock the rail launching system! And then you attempted to kill us all with the Hyper Cannon! I ought a… Rrrh!" Kallen slammed him into the wall again and turned around to leave, but then she heard the cock of a pistol. She turned her head to see Azrael with a crazed look in his eye. He held a pistol as his body was shaking from fear, "Don't… don't touch me! Or…or I'll shoot! I will! I will! I will! I swear to God I will!"

Kallen's eyes narrowed as if she were daring him to do something so stupid. In the flash of an eye she spun around in a kick, sending the pistol flying through the air. She twirled, closing the distance between Azrael and herself. A flash of silver and a small ringing sound filled the air as Kallen's hidden switchblade was out and bearing down on Azrael's throat; her other hand wrested mercilessly at his hair, pulling his head back to accentuate his throat. Kallen grimaced as she put a little more pressure on the knife, allowing precious drops of blood to flow onto her blade.

"Your days are up Azrael. Zero will learn of your deceit and he will bring justice upon your head. Otherwise…you wouldn't be alive right now."

Azrael's eyes were crazed and pleading. Kallen was disgusted with him. She slammed his head against the wall hard and let go of him. He slid to the floor as she turned and left the room. She stood in the doorway, upset that she had failed. Angry that Kira kept coming up in her life to confuse her.

The two Legionnaires that stood in the doorway felt uncomfortable seeing Kallen in the state that she was in, but then she glared at them when she noticed them, "What are you looking at!?" she yelled angrily.

"Nothing ma'am!" They both saluted and then proceeded to being very interested in the wall.

Kallen's chest heaved as she tried to regain her composure. Then Azrael could be heard in a shrill shriek, "Die! Stadfeldt!"

Kallen turned as there was a loud shot that reverberated through the halls. She felt like the wind was knocked out of her as she fell to the ground with a thud. She was aware of the two guards firing their SMGs into Azrael's room. There was then silence as the world around her went black.

**Author's Note:**

I am truly sorry that I stopped writing for so long! It's been crazy the last couple of weeks and now I have my priorities set again. I love writing this a lot and I gave someone my word I would finish this story, so I will! I'm back and I will regularly update every Thursday!

Now, the Seraphim Gundam is my own original design (Not to be confused with Gundam 00), as is the Camelot, Genji, and the Messenger. I will do my best to describe them, and leave the rest to your imaginations… Perhaps someday I'll get pictures up somewhere… anyhow

A special thanks to **GS4Ever** I'm sorry that I never updated… till now that is! I hope you continue to read!

Also a big thanks to** iCards **your reviews are very much appreciated and I'm glad to see that my work is appreciated. Thank you for all of your reviews and I hope you'll enjoy reading future installments!

And to **PinkCarnation^_^417** I'm grateful for your message asking me to continue. Thank you (Bows deeply).

This story has come alive again, like a Phoenix that spawns from the ashes! I hope you enjoy! I promise that at least one new chapter will come out every week on Thursday, as this is my day off.

Thanks for the support and I hope that I can do my best, to give you my best.

~Sincerely,

Vanguarde


	11. A Moment's Respite

**Chapter X**

**A Moment's Respite**

**14 years ago…**

Japan's country side was full of life: Farmers worked in their rice paddies, students walked to school, children played with each other in the vast expanse of greenness. Kallen was only four. She watched while her mother tilled the field. She sat and played with a butterfly that had decided to rest on the windowsill nearby. Kallen was going to touch it, but then the Sirens blared and scared it away.

Kallen's mother dropped what she was doing and ran for Kallen in the house. In one motion she scooped Kallen into her arms and collected Kallen into her arms. She was running out to the car and attempting to get it started. Kallen began to cry, confused at what was happening.

Kallen felt like she was a spectator watching the past unfold. "What's happening?" She asked herself. She watched as her mother and little Kallen were pulling out of the driveway.

Kallen felt strange, "This feels… wrong." Then it was as if everything rewound itself. Kallen's mother returned to tilling the field as little Kallen attempted to play with the butterfly, but this time a young boy was next to her…

Kallen began to walk over, "Who is that boy? Why don't I remember him?"

She attempted to walk faster, but with every step she took it was as if the scene of her home stretched farther and farther away. "No! Come back! Who are you!?" Kallen called out as she began to run into the scene that disappeared to blackness… Kallen fell to her knees and began to breathe heavily. As she looked she beheld that she was in a burning city. Kallen looked to her left and saw little Kallen crying over her dead mother.

Kallen watched in horror as her past was shown to her again. "No…" she shook her head weakly, "No! Stop! I don't want to see this… not again… please." She pleaded with tears in her eyes.

Little Kallen cried over her dead mother and then two soldiers wearing Chinese uniforms stepped forward smiling maliciously. Kallen cried as she watched the little Kallen be shot from behind… Kallen cried, confused. It didn't feel right. Kallen touched her side, where the three bullets had left their ugly scars. Why did it feel like she was forgetting something, or was it someone?

The events rewound again. She saw little Kallen crying over her mother again, but the boy from earlier was with her as well, holding her from behind. She couldn't see his face but watched as the little boy, not any older than she was shielded her from the shots of the two evil men. Both of them fell in slumps to the ground.

Kallen stepped forward woodenly as she attempted to go towards the three fallen people. She tried to remember what happened… She lived, but she was shot. She still had the scars from that same incident. But who was this boy she couldn't remember? The three became farther and farther away, despite how many steps Kallen took forward, until she was in complete darkness. Kallen looked around anxiously, "Is anyone there? Hello?"

No one answered her question, because she was alone. She was engulfed in darkness as far as the eye could see. Eventually Kallen became tired wandering aimlessly in the darkness and curled herself into a ball, quietly crying herself to sleep.

**The Present…**

Kallen awoke in a cold metallic room. She shook off the woozy feeling she had as she looked around. She seemed to be in the medical bay. She touched gingerly at her left breast and winced. She was still dressed in her pilot uniform but couldn't see what was causing the pain. She attempted to recollect her memories and recall what had happened to her.

"I was chewing out Azrael and then… he shot me." She grimaced and then looked around again. She saw Kira's jacket on the chair next to her. It had a bullet hole in it where she had been shot. On the nightstand next to her cot, she saw a small, leather bound booklet that had a hole embedded in it. Next to that was the cap of a bullet that had nearly killed her. She picked up the book. It had pictures of Kira in it, although he was somewhat younger. She put the small photo album down.

She gazed at it for a long time, and then, finally, picked it up, albeit gingerly. She found it odd that she had never noticed that the book was inside Kira's jacket. She felt it with her hands. It was strong and the cover of the book seemed to be made out of some kind of metal that was wrapped in genuine brown leather. The hole punctured through the book, but the back cover had not been torn through, although there was a small indent that could be felt. She opened it slowly and thumbed through the pages. They were photos, and she did her best to make out the images now that a hole had marred them.

There were pictures of Kira as a young boy with a man and a woman; they seemed to adore him as they held the four year old in their arms. The first few pictures were of this man and woman. Then there were a few of a young Kira, although the young child seemed quite solemn. Kallen felt as if she was intruding on something very personal, but she couldn't stop from delving further. Kira slowly grew older and there was another boy that was with him in many of the pictures. He had long dark blue hair and emerald eyes.

Kallen wondered who these people that Kira knew were. She continued her quest to learn more of the boy that had torn at her these last two weeks. This boy grew up and then with the duo, there was a third added. At first, Kallen thought it was a blonde haired boy, but it was a young girl. The three seemed to be in middle school at that point of time. The three had many pictures together. Then the other boy, disappeared. Kira continued to grow till he seemed more like the way, she had met him. The last picture in the album was Kira with the girl and…

"The Chief Representative of Orb?" Kallen asked herself, "How is Kira connected to him?"

Something else that struck her was that as the photos had progressed, and as the child grew older, the young Kira seemed happier and happier. It was as if that solemn little boy had healed from something. Kallen scoffed at that. She thought of how she had lost everything in Japan and fought to survive. She lived there throughout her youth and fought in local gangs, trying to stay alive. That was until Zero came to Japan with the Shadow Legion. They recruited many of the wayward souls of Japan and trained them, and trained her, to become stronger. In a year and a half's time she had become Zero's most elite and most trusted Legionnaire.

Kallen closed the photo album and put it into Kira's jacket. She pulled it on over her shoulders and winced at what that small effort had incurred. She looked up and was startled as she saw Zero standing in the doorway. She stood up hastily, "Master Zero!?"

Zero raised a hand. She sat down, staring at him. He made his way across the room and stood in front of her, waiting expectantly. She averted her gaze while he studied her. She almost jumped when he spoke to her, "Kallen."

She raised her face to meet that cold, emotionless mask, "Yes, master."

He was silent again for a time, but then continued, "The mission was a failure."

Kallen's eyes filled with hurt as her head fell and hung low, "I know."

Zero's gloved hand came up and brought Kallen's chin up, "The failure is not solely your own."

Kallen seemed confused by this. Zero continued as he let her go and turned and began pacing back and forth, "Yes, you see you are not fully at fault. A weapon needs direction and a worthy master in order to bring out its full potential. Your fighting prowess is above any others' in the Shadow Legion. Your skill is not what is lacking, neither is your devotion."

Kallen turned to him desperately, "What is it I lack, my Liege? I can fix it! I can work harder to obtain it!"

Zero smiled inwardly, "I know you would. This is why I say your devotion is not what is lacking."

Kallen waited expectantly. Zero stopped pacing and turned to her, "You do not lack anything, Kallen; you've merely become dull."

Kallen seemed to be confused at that. Zero paced a bit, "Like any sword, your edge may become dull. I merely have to find the right whetstone in order to sharpen your skills. Up until now, I neglected you and allowed you to become lax." He paused to study Kallen. She seemed enraptured by him. "_Perfect…" _he thought to himself. "Kallen Stadfeldt."

"Yes, Zero?"

"I believe I have found a whetstone to sharpen your edge."

Kallen practically jumped at that, "Really!?"

Zero smiled inwardly again, "Yes, I shall send you to South Africa."

Kallen deflated, "What's in South Africa?"

Zero brought up his tone, "Does it matter? If I tell you it will better you, do you have any need to worry?"

Kallen shook her head, gulping, "No, my Liege."

"I didn't think so," Zero said coolly, "Now, be prepared to leave immediately."

Kallen stood and bowed, "Yes, Master!"

Kallen had made it to the doorway when she stopped and turned to Zero, "My liege?"

Zero looked up at her, "Yes, Kallen?"

"What happened to Azrael?" she asked grudgingly.

"He is alive." Zero said plainly.

"What!?" she exclaimed.

"Yes, the guards merely shot him in non-vital areas. Azrael's right arm and both legs have incurred extensive damage. He is currently in nanotechnology therapy and recovering well."

Kallen seemed stupefied at that, "You're healing that…" Kallen was going to say worse, but remembered who she was talking to, "Why is he being healed?"

Zero stared at her for a long moment, causing Kallen to get shivers all over her body. Zero then broke the silence, "Kallen, Azrael will pay for what he attempted to do to you, but I would not fear anything from him anymore, if I were you. I am dealing with him personally and he shall never be a disturbance again."

Kallen seemed unsure of that, but Zero was her leader and had seldom led her wrong. "Fine…" She conceded. She had turned to leave but then Zero's voice stopped her again.

"Kallen?"

"Yes, my liege?"

"Who was the boy in those photographs?"

Kallen suddenly felt weak. She wanted to lie, to tell him that Kira was nothing. She wanted to just blow everything off, but wouldn't that be lying to Zero? She struggled internally for a moment.

"He's no one. I stole this jacket when I was back in Avalon. I don't know who it belongs to."

Zero stood motionless for a moment, causing Kallen to become more nervous, but she didn't give in. Zero eventually spoke, "Very well. You may leave Kallen."

"Thank you sir." And with that Kallen left.

Zero sighed and shook off the hurt that he felt in his chest. "_It's stupid to feel this way…" _Zero thought to himself, _"Jealousy is unbecoming…"_

_**On the Starship Messenger: Prison deck...**_

Captain Natalie Karnikoff smiled to herself as she examined the Shadow Legionnaire pilots they had captured. It gave Suzaku a bad vibe, "What has you in such a good mood?" he asked curiously.

Natalie turned, "Not a bad haul. We captured the Shadow Pain unit, one of the Shadow Legion's elite squadrons."

Suzaku seemed surprised, "They weren't even that tough."

"Precisely; we could wipe Zero off the map if we could find his base of operations."

"Well we know that he frequently travels in the airship Stratus. It's a stealth vessel that can house a large number of mobile suits and is equipped with a full arsenal. It's somewhat like a fortress in and of itself."

Natalie laughed, "All we have to do is wear him thin, and then we can rip him apart…"

Suzaku saw pure malice in Natalie's face as she spoke. He knew he could trust her as long as both of their goals were to kill Zero. He gazed back at the Phantom Pain unit.

Sting was sitting against the wall, his head in his hands. Auel was punching the wall, thoroughly upset that they had lost so easily, "I can't believe this! When I get a new mobile suit I'm going to tear that Yamato kid up to shreds! He better hope I don't ever see him face to face! Argh!"

Stella winced every time Auel's fist hit the metal barrier, "Big brother," she pleaded, "Stop it. You're frightening Stella…"

Auel turned to her and snarled, "Don't be such a baby!"

Stella began to cry. At that point Sting stood up and punched Auel in the face, "Shut up!" Sting yelled.

Auel hit the ground. As he raised himself he spit out blood, "What the hell was that for!?"

Sting shook his head, "You're upsetting Stella!"

"So!? If you didn't notice, we are trapped! I think that is a little more important! We don't need a crybaby throughout all this crap!"

Sting turned and glared, "Auel! I'm serious! Just shut up!"

"Why don't you make me?" Auel egged him on.

Sting cracked his knuckles, "Fine!"

Sting lunged for Auel, his fist held back ready to swing; he never even got close. Suddenly his body began to shake violently as he dropped to the ground, writhing in pain.

There was a small prong protruding from Sting's back, attached to it was a thin chord that led to the doorway of the cell. There stood Suzaku, tazer in hand.

"You know, you're all supposed to play nice." Suzaku grinned smugly.

"Who the hell are you!? Are you that Yamato kid?" Auel asked menacingly.

Suzaku smirked, "No, I'm much worse."

Stella's eyes went wide as she recognized Suzaku's voice, "Sera… phim…" She huddled into the nearby corner.

Auel scoffed, "Fine, I'll take you on anyways!" Auel sprang forward swinging at Suzaku, but he didn't move at all. Suzaku waited until Auel's fist was about to connect and then instantly Suzaku sidestepped, and grabbed Auel's arm in between his own arm and his body. Suzaku's free hand grabbed Auel's throat, lifted the blue haired kid in the air and slammed him down on his back. Auel gasped for air and as he did, Suzaku squeezed down even tighter.

Auel desperately tried to breath, but to no avail. His face turned red as he strained desperately to escape Suzaku's grip. Suzaku meanwhile seemed listless and uncaring. He just held Auel down as the legionnaire writhed under his grip. As Auel began to lose consciousness he could hear Suzaku begin to speak, "Fool…"

_**Later on the Starship Messenger: Lacus' quarters...**_

The Soldiers of Light's Starship, the Messenger arrived at the Pillar of Heaven. Lacus sat combing her hair and looking into the mirror she was given. It was always a process, brushing her hair, but she was glad to have gravity again so she could brush it properly. On the Camelot she had been forced to brush her hair without gravity; it didn't work out so well so she ended up putting it up a lot. She sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She was tired. She had tried so hard the last two weeks, to be strong for her people. Now she was far away from them all and they felt she had abandoned them.

Lacus hoped that the Soldier's of Light could help Avalon secure itself again. So many had died in the last few days and she just wanted it to stop. She just wanted to have peace. Lacus' musings were interrupted by a knock, "Lady Lacus? Are you ready to leave? We've just arrived at the Pillar of Heaven." It was Athrun.

Lacus stood up woodenly. Suzaku's reappearance had been difficult for her. Athrun's voice was at the door again, "Lacus? Are you all right?"

Lacus opened the door and gave a half-hearted smile, "I'm fine silly. Let's meet this Akira. I would like to get a plan started for the perseverance of the people of Avalon."

Athrun could tell that Lacus wasn't acting herself but he merely nodded, "Yes, your highness."

The two walked down the hall without saying a word. The silence was stifling for the both of them, but neither could think of any words that would comfort the other. The silence was only broken when Kira came into view.

"Athrun! Princess! There you are!" Kira's eyes lit up, "I was looking all over for you!"

Athrun seemed confused, "You were? How come?"

"Well! Why don't you see for yourself?" Kira grinned. He turned, "You can come out! I found her!"

As he spoke, a familiar pink haired girl turned the corner. Lacus gasped, "Meer!?"

Meer smiled, "Hello sister."

Lacus ran and the two sisters embraced. Lacus was practically crying for joy, "Meer! I missed you and then I was worried about you because we hadn't heard anything about you! How did you get here?"

Meer smiled, "Suzaku saved me."

Lacus felt as if she had been slapped, "He… saved you?"

Meer nodded, "Uh-huh, Suzaku saved me from the capital and brought me to Dr. Akira. He explained everything to me and I believe him."

Lacus seemed confused, "What? But, how did you… why?"

Meer smiled, "When you see Eden and the way everyone treats one another you will understand."

Lacus had her doubts, which was quite obvious to her twin. Meer giggled, "Don't worry about anything sis. The doctor is a good guy. He wants the best for people."

Lacus didn't know what to say to that but she did her best to understand her sister's feelings, "Well, then let's meet this Dr. Akira."

With that Lacus and Meer walked off together and began telling each other what each of them had gone through in the other's absence.

Kira and Athrun were left together. Athrun spoke but didn't turn towards Kira, "Hey Kira?"

"Yeah, Athrun?" Kira replied, somewhat concerned.

"Do you trust this Akira person?"

Kira thought about that for a moment. Athrun turned to him, "Kira?"

"I'm not sure." Kira whispered.

Athrun was taken aback. He had hoped that Kira would wipe away his fears, but now he was doubtful, "What do you mean, 'you're not sure'?"

Kira looked up to Athrun, "It's just… something about him feels wrong… but at the same time he is trying to stop Zero. Zero was the cause of all this fighting… so if we can stop him, we won't have to fight anymore. That's the only reason I am siding with him right now."

Athrun relaxed a bit, "I see…"

The two stood for a moment, but then Kira playfully punched Athrun's arm, "Don't worry. If Akira does anything to hurt Lacus or any innocent person, you and I will stop him."

Athrun was surprised by Kira, but felt relieved as well, "Yeah. We can do this. Together."

Kira smiled, "Aren't we supposed to be guarding the Princesses?"

Athrun smacked his forehead, "Oh yeah!"

The two ran in the direction the girls had left.

A lone teen who had been sitting around the corner eavesdropping smiled, "Thanks for letting me know where you stand Kira Yamato. I'll have to let the good doctor know about this.

_**Pillar of Heaven: Akira's Office...**_

Lacus entered the white room with Athrun at her side. Akira sat across the way. As the two entered he stood, "Your Highness, welcome to the Pillar of Heaven. I hope you had no trouble in finding this place."

Lacus shook her head, "No trouble at all. The Pillar of Heaven is quite extraordinary. Did you really create it all?"

Akira nodded, "Yes, I did. I constructed it shortly after I had employed the Shadow Legion. From space I was able to get a better view of situations on battlefields and give them a tactical advantage."

"I see." Lacus said bitterly at the thought of war.

Akira frowned, "I see I have offended you."

Lacus shook her head, "I dislike the thought of people fighting, Mr. Akira. You must understand. But," she added, "I am grateful for your assistance at Camelot. Without your soldiers of Light, many people that I care about would be dead right now."

Akira smiled, "You are welcome. Now please, take a seat." He said spreading his hand out to the two seats in front of his desk.

Lacus sat down, "So what is it that you desire from me?" Lacus asked bluntly.

Akira raised an eyebrow, "Desire? I desire nothing from you, or from Avalon."

Lacus was surprised, "Then why did you help us?"

"So I could stop Zero. My sole purpose for creating the soldiers of light is to stop Zero so that balance can be restored. Helping you was a way to stop Zero and show him that he could not have his way anytime he would like."

"So helping us was merely an objective and not an act of charity?" Lacus asked defensively.

Akira smiled, "Yes. But I would like to offer more assistance."

"Oh?" Lacus perked a brow.

"Yes. I would like to offer you safe haven here. You will be protected from your enemies and be able to sleep a bit easier…"

"And what of my people that are at the mercy of Russia and China?" Lacus posed her question calmly, though she was becoming agitated.

Akira smiled, "Your country will be dissolved in three days time. Russia will make another reach and with the little and unorganized leadership your capital will fall to them. Avalon is gone. Besides, no one wants to see Lacus Clyne, the traitor who killed their dreams for peace."

Lacus looked like she had been slapped. Athrun tensed and stood up from his seat, "What is the meaning of this!?"

Akira laughed, "The truth is a harsh friend sometimes. Not to worry. If you will listen, I have a way to save you from this predicament."

Lacus seemed very confused at this point. Athrun's knuckles went white as he balled his fists and grinded his teeth.

Akira smiled, "Sir Zala, perhaps you should sit down. I am here to help. That is all."

Lacus interjected, "If you know so much, then how can you help my people?"

Akira smiled, "If you will follow the plan I have in store, your precious Avalon and all of her people will be safe and happy."

Lacus couldn't believe she was going to hear him out, but her options were limited, "What do you have in mind?"

**_Pillar of Heaven: Corridors..._**

Kira was passing through the halls to his room when he heard the pounding of footsteps around the corner. Next thing Kira knew, he was being bowled over by a young woman. She seemed surprised at him being there, "Whoah! Watch it!" she screamed.

It was too late. Kira fell back with the girl falling on top of him. The two lay sprawled on the floor, Kira trying to get his breath back after having it knocked out of him. The girl propped herself on top of him, "Why don't you look where you are going!?"

Kira was dumbfounded, "I'm… sorry?"

"You should be! Now I'm going to be late to see Sir Kururugi!" the girl said matter-of-factly.

"Who are you?" Kira asked quizzically.

The girl looked at him like he was stupid, "Isn't it kind of rude to ask for someone's name and not introduce yourself first?"

"Oh! Right, I'm Kira Yamato…"

She cut him off, "Whoah! The Kira Yamato! It's only been a few hours and everyone is talking about how you and Kururugi took out a whole squad of Shadow Legionnaires without breaking a sweat!"

Kira raised an eyebrow, "People have been talking?"

"Yeah…" She was saying until she was interrupted.

"Lunamaria Hawke… Could you please explain why you are on top of Kira?" Suzaku said as he came down the hall.

Luna looked over to Suzaku, and then down to Kira, who she happened to be straddling. She blushed and jumped up, "Gosh! Kira! I just met you!" She kicked him in the shin.

Kira grabbed his injured appendage, "Owww! Like that was my fault!"

Suzaku shook his head, "Well it looks like you've met Lunamaria." He gave his hand to Kira to help him up.

"Yeah…" Kira said wearily.

Luna pouted, "You make it sound like a bad thing!"

Suzaku laughed, "Of course not." He then became more serious, "Our next assignment has been given to the two of you."

"What!?" The two said in unison, but Luna was actually excited, while Kira was startled.

Suzaku smiled, "Yeah, you are both going to South Africa."

"Why?" Kira asked.

"Why else? Zero may be there. The Doctor believes that Zero has a base there. Luna's job is to destroy it and you Kira, are her backup. Just make sure Luna comes back alive."

Luna turned red again, but this time out of insult, "What!? I get a babysitter?"

Kira didn't like the idea either, "I don't suppose you could go?"

Suzaku shook his head, "I'll be busy, and so it's your job to make sure she stays okay. You won't have to kill anyone Kira, and you don't even have to be on the battle field. Just be on standby, just in case Luna needs you."

"That won't happen!" Luna said exasperated. Luna turned and stormed off.

Suzaku called out to her, "You leave in two hours, make sure to board the Messenger. You'll be briefed then!"

She waved her hand dismissively, "Yeah yeah!"

Suzaku turned to Kira, "She's actually a great soldier; she's just all excited because she became an Angel, today."

"What's an Angel?" Kira asked, though the question seemed rhetorical.

"It's Akira's top twenty four pilots that serve directly under him. I'm number two. Luna is now number twenty three."

"Wait…" Kira began, somewhat confused, "Am I?"

"No, you aren't technically assigned a number yet. The Doctor wants you to feel that you have a choice in the matter. In time, if you'd like, I'm sure you could ask him for a position. Until then you are helping because you are a free agent."

"Really?" Kira asked.

"Yeah. Oh by the way, South Africa is kind of a dangerous place. Be careful while you're there Kira."

"Right."

Suzaku turned and began walking away, "Good luck, Kira."

"Thanks Suzaku." Kira called out as he was left alone…

_**To be continued...**_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Sorry for the errors in the story. I switched from wordpad to microsoft word and the transition has been sloppy. Lines aren't working so I had to add bold letters telling you where they are... Personally, I dont' care for it, as I think it ruins the flow, but let me know what you think... I'll have it all fixed next time. As for the chapter, I put it up on Thursday... mind you it was nearly midnight, but it was up and I forgot to add the Author's note so... sorry! It won't happen again. Also, if this chapter seemed short or rushed I apologize... I couldn't fully concentrate on the writing... too much background noise. But I'll make it up to you in the next chapter!

Now I'd like to thank **iCards **for his comments thus far! Your support and continued reading makes me happy. Not to mention your review made me laugh as I realized I do put Kallen in a lot of bad situations. Well, I guess with the personality she has developed in my story, it's not suprising. Thanks for reviewing and I hope to hear from you again!

Now, as for the next installment... I warn my readers that South Africa is not a pleasant place in my story. It is still full of racism, poverty and war. Viewer discretion is advised. Another disclaimer: I do not own any of the Gundam series or Code Geass. This fiction is merely written for the fun of it, but my Original Characters are well... mine as are the MSs and Starships, etc I create... Anyhow... I guess that really doesn't matter.

Well thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

~Vanguarde


	12. The First Dance

Chapter XI

**The First Dance**

"Who knew it would be so hot in Africa?" Lunamaria said aloud.

Kira just shook his head. Lunamaria Hawke was… interesting to say the least. She was serious when it came to her duty to the Soldiers of Light, but otherwise she was upbeat and… well… a typical girl. She was a little shorter than Kira, and had red bobbed-cut hair; one wisp of hair liked to dance in the wind. She had dark blue eyes and pale skin. Her hips were wide, and her body was pretty solid, muscular wise.

Luna looked over at Kira, "Are you checking me out?"

Kira blushed, "No! Can we just focus on the task at hand?"

Luna gave him a mischievous smile, "Whatever you say Lover Boy."

The two were on a small bus that was leading them to a small village on the coastline. It had the possibility of being Zero's hideout. Kira looked out at the desert landscape, the occasional palm tree littering the area. Luna nudged him, "Look! There it is!"

Kira turned his head and saw the village of Lamperouge. It was colorful and bright, decorated with flags and tapestries here and there. Kira was somewhat stunned, "Are you sure this is it? I figured it be more… well, oppressed or something."

Luna shook her head, "You shouldn't take things at face value. Just because it looks nice from here doesn't mean that it's not full of filth on the inside."

A man had turned his head and was staring at the two teens oddly. Luna giggled and hugged Kira close to her, "We're just really excited to be able to be 'alone' together. If you know what I mean!" She winked.

The man smiled broadly, chuckling to himself as he turned back around. Kira gave Luna a small glare. Luna shook her head and whispered in his ear, "What you didn't want anyone to catch on to us did you?"

"Whatever, let's talk about it when we get to the lodge." Kira conceded.

Luna giggled, "A little anxious to get to **our** room?"

Kira just gave her a 'you've-got-to-be-kidding-me' look. She pouted, "Oh, you're no fun."

The two stared off in opposite directions as the bus continued to chug along towards the village.

* * *

"Ooh! The room is pretty!" Luna exclaimed.

Kira just shook his head, "It's not like we're on vacation you know."

Luna shook her head, "Of course we are dear. What are you talking about?"

Kira forgot that they weren't supposed to break character as newlyweds… It was just really difficult for him to imagine to be married to her.

Luna smiled sweetly, "Sweetie! I am going to go roam about the town and see what's here. Why don't you go take a shower and I'll be back in a few hours. Okay?"

Kira felt his head pulsing as he muttered, "Yes, dear."

She giggled as she put her hands on his chest and kissed his cheek, "You're the best hubby ever!"

Kira really felt a migraine coming on now, but he just smiled weakly. Luna waved goodbye and left the room. Kira sighed, "Well, a shower does sound good."

He took off his shirt that he had sweat in a good deal. The cool air from the fan felt good on his tan skin.

He heard a whistle behind him, causing him to jump, "Wha! Who's there?!"

Luna was standing in the doorway giggling, "Nice view Mr. Muscle Man, except for that scar. Where'd ya get it?"

Kira picked up his shirt and was now covering himself with it, "Why didn't you knock?"

Luna shrugged, "I forgot my purse, so I came back to get it. I didn't know you were actually going to take a shower. Now don't ignore my question!"

Kira shrugged, "I don't really remember. I've had it since I was really young."

Luna seemed kind of confused at that, "Really? But, those look like bullet wounds? How does a kid get bullet wounds?"

Kira smiled, "Yeah, but I don't remember anything about how I got them. I don't remember much of my past besides my sister Cagalli."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Luna said, more serious now.

Kira smiled, "It's okay; it's no big deal. I grew up with the Yamato's and they were really nice people. I honor them as my father and mother."

Luna frowned, thinking, _"And now he's separated from them because of Zero's chaos. That's so sad…"_

Luna was silent as she pondered that. Kira frowned, "Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

Luna shook her head, "Yeah, I have my purse now so I'm off. I'll call you if I need you."

"Be safe okay?" Kira pleaded.

Luna seemed taken aback by his kindness, "I will." And with that, Luna left, closing the door behind her.

Kira was left alone, wondering what the next few days would bring and hoping it would end in success. He stepped over and turned the television set on. The news showed the Royal Palace of Avalon.

"Today, the King of Russia stormed the Castle of Avalon and captured the remaining Noblemen of Avalon who, a little more than a week ago, had used the Peace Convention as a stage for a full-scale declaration of war. It appears as if that war is over now that Andrey Petrov has succeeded in capturing the Royal Officials. The last two representatives that must be found are, now deceased, Siegel Clyne's daughters, Lacus and Meer Clyne…"

Kira frowned. The media had the twisted the truth and portrayed Avalon as if it was the villain.

"What would Zero gain from all of this?" Kira wondered aloud.

He also wondered what became of his friends and what they thought had become of him… It left a hollow space in his heart…

* * *

Kallen dropped her duffle bag at the end of her bed. Her new room was much like her last one; all metal and cold. "Well it beats the 'good' old days…" Kallen laughed to herself when thinking back on her old life in the destitute country of Japan.

Kallen flopped down on the bed, which was very uncomfortable, "What do they got in this thing, rocks?" She beat the bed a little and then flopped down again, "I have gotten soft… no wonder I need to train here. It'll toughen me up again." As if thirteen years hadn't been enough.

Kallen lay on her back musing, "_So I'm now the Commander of the South African Division of Shadow Legionnaires. Kind of a demotion from right hand of Zero… don't you think?"_

She ruffled her hair with her hands, frustrated, "Why did all this happen!" she whispered hotly. She groaned and flipped over in her bed, using the pillow to shield her head and drown out any noise, except for her labored breathing.

When she took the pillow off her head, she was surprised to see that she was no longer in her room, but in a war torn Japan. "What the…" Kallen breathed. She saw people killing each other, with guns and any other kind of weapon they could swing. She saw a younger version of herself, probably only thirteen at the time, toting an AK-47. It was difficult for the young girl to hold but she did her best. She began shooting and killed three enemies in half a minute. She hid behind the debris that served as cover while she reloaded her weapon. A man emerged from around the corner and started to charge her down, a katana in hand.

Kallen yelled to her younger counterpart, "Look out!"

The younger Kallen saw the man bearing down on her. She dropped her rifle and pulled out three kunai, which she threw adroitly into the man's neck, torso and right arm. The man dropped to his knees in agony and surprise, as he made a sickening gurgling sound. Blood came out of the man's mouth, as he looked at Kallen with pleading eyes. The younger Kallen picked up her AK, reloaded the weapon and then turned it on the man. The man had tears in his eyes as he looked pleadingly at her. Older Kallen watched with despondently as the younger her shot him down mercilessly.

Kallen searched out her young self's eyes. They were cold and emotionless; hardened by the massacre of continual warfare.

Kallen took a step back, "Is this the side of me that I'm missing? The side of me that Zero wants?"

The scenery changed again, this time, a Kallen that seemed about sixteen, or seventeen years old, was meeting up with the Shadow Legion for the first time. Kallen watched as the event from a year and a half ago took place.

Young Kallen stepped up to the group of Shadow Legionnaires, "I want to join."

The man in front laughed, "What? You want to join?" He looked to his compatriots, "This little lass wants to join the Shadow Legion!"

All the soldiers seemed to laugh at that. Kallen glared, "You don't think I'm serious?"

The leading soldier smiled, "Look little lady, perhaps you should grow up a bit? You wouldn't last one week with us." The man stopped, and then an evil grin appeared on his face, "Or maybe you can come with… you would be a fun playmate for the boys. It gets awful lonely sometimes!"

He made a move to fondle her but Kallen would have none of it; Kallen roundhouse kicked the man to the ground and pinned his head with her knee. She took his SMG and trained it on the others, "Don't move or I'll kill you all where you stand."

No one in the area moved. Kallen was the center of attention. The older Kallen was smiling as she recalled this point of time, "That guy so deserved it…"

The stalemate was broken when a loud commanding voice was overheard by all, "What seems to be the problem here?"

The men all parted, "My Liege! This woman! She attacked us without warning! She's armed!"

Zero continued to walk forward, "Oh really?" He looked around at the five standing Legionnaires, "Six Legionnaires taken by a single girl?"

He looked at Kallen who had daggers in her eyes as she trained the gun on him. "Stay back or I'll kill you!" She snarled.

It was quiet but then Zero began to laugh, "Ha, ha, ha, ha, hah! You are quite impressive. What is your name, my dear?"

"Kallen Kozuki! And I'm not your dear!" She shot once at the ground, but Zero didn't flinch. All the other legionnaires brought their SMGs up and ready to shoot, but Zero motioned them to lower their weapons. He took another step forward, "Kallen Kozuki, are you interested in joining the Shadow Legion?"

Kallen hesitated a moment but then responded resolutely, "I am!"

Zero smiled under his mask, "What are your skills? It seems that by your stance, you are accustomed to wielding firearms, and by your performance and undaunted demeanor, you are quite capable at hand to hand combat."

Kallen was silent for a moment but then decided she had nothing to lose, "I can also pilot a mobile suit. I piloted for the Suzahara Clan before it was defeated and dissolved by the larger Shinkai Clan."

Zero seemed impressed, "Very well then. You will undergo training on the Airship Stratus. I will overlook your training personally Ms. Kozuki."

The older Kallen remembered it all again vividly, "In three months time, I changed my name to Stadfeldt; a way to put the past behind me… Obviously it didn't work…"

The scene dissolved around Kallen as she was left alone in blackness again. She looked around, "Is anyone there? Hello?"

She travelled for what seemed like forever until she saw a familiar caped figure, "Zero!" Kallen ran towards him, excited to not be alone. As she neared him, Zero turned round to face her, quietly. He grabbed her by the throat and squeezed hard. Kallen fought desperately for air as she was lifted into the air, "Ma… ster?"

Zero's mask came to life and opened at the bottom ridge as if it were a mouth. Filth, maggots, insects, and darkness came oozing out as an evil voice penetrated her entire being, "My dear! You look ravishing tonight!"

The monster's face coming in towards Kallen's was the last thing she saw.

"Noooo!!!" Kallen screamed, as she awoke from her nightmare in a sweat. She looked around the room and remembered she was in South Africa. Light was pouring into the room from the nearby window.

Kallen was gasping for air, "It was just a dream…" She flopped back lazily into the bed, relieved that it was over. She lay still for a few minutes after that, pondering about her dream. She finally was fed up with it all, "Ugh, what's the point! I'm just going to take a cold shower!"

And with that Kallen got out of bed and decided to start her day, and learn about her new duties as Commander.

* * *

"Step away!" The armored clad soldier yelled menacingly to Murrue Ramius.

Murrue, a middle-aged brunette, who was a professor at the Royal Academy, simply glared, "She is only a teenager! What is she going to do to you!?"

The Russian Soldier cursed, "Step away, woman! We only want Shirley Fennette! That was our orders!"

Murrue stood as tall as her female frame would allow, "And what would you do if I did not comply with your command? Will you shoot me?"

The man used the butt of his weapon to hit Murrue in the face, causing her to fall back and hit the ground. "You asked for it!" The man snarled.

Shirley ran to Murrue's side, "Ms. Murrue? Are you okay?" Shirley turned to the soldiers, "I'm Shirley Fennette! Please don't hurt anyone else! It's me you want isn't it?"

The soldier gripped Shirley by the arm, "Come on then girl!"

"Oww!" Shirley winced.

The soldier practically dragged her to an armored vehicle and threw her inside. She was sent sprawling. Other Noblemen were inside, Joseph Fennette being one of them. Shirley's father drew close to her and picked her up. "Shirley?" he spoke lovingly.

"Daddy?" Shirley looked up surprised. She threw herself into his arms, "Daddy!" She began to cry, "I was so scared daddy! What's going on?"

Joseph frowned, "It seems that the King of Russia does not want any legal representatives of the Royal family left. By disposing of us, he can take control of Avalon, legally." He chuckled at the last part.

Shirley cried into her father's chest, "_First Avalon is attacked by the Shadow Legion, and then Suzaku kills King Clyne… Then Lacus disappears after attempting to assassinate the King of Russia and the Empress of China… It isn't like Lacus… she is so sweet… I know her… Why is this happening? First I lose Lelouch… then I lose Lacus and Meer, and now I'm about to lose everything else… Why?"_

Joseph held his daughter close to him, stroking her hair, "Everything will be okay sweetie…" He continued to comfort her, even after the steel doors closed shutting them all in darkness.

* * *

Kallen yawned loudly as she walked through the base, "Is that all I have to know?"

The man she spoke to did not seem pleased, "Yes, ma'am. That is all. You know, you should take this more seriously. You are in command of three hundred men or so…"

The man was cut off as Kallen had seized the man's coat and pinned him to the wall. She glared menacingly, "Don't underestimate me! I know how important this all is, but I'm the commander and I will not have anyone tell me what to do! Only Zero can do that!"

The man gulped, "Yes, commander!"

Kallen let him go, causing him to go into a slump on the ground. Kallen folded her arms and looked at him expectantly, "So anything else Doctor Tamaki?"

Tamaki picked himself up, panting slightly as he fixed his tie, "Yes, that's all… Oh, the Moon Festival is taking place today… Perhaps you should check it out and become more acquainted with the village of Lamperouge."

Kallen shrugged, "I guess it won't hurt."

Tamaki bowed, "Then I shall ask for your leave commander Stadfeldt."

Kallen nodded, "You're dismissed."

The man bowed again and left in a hurry. Kallen rolled her eyes and decided to check out the moon festival.

* * *

Kira walked the village streets that night. There were lights hung up on wires that illuminated the village making it lively and bright. The people were dancing and singing. Parties were going on in different cafés and throughout the streets. Kira caught the attention of a waitress, "Excuse me miss? Could you tell me what's going on?"

The waitress smiled, "It's the Moon Festival! Every month at the full moon we celebrate our lives and the blessings we've been given! It's also said that during this night of the full moon, you're bound to get lucky in one way or another!" She winked, "Is there anything I can do for you, sweetie?"

Kira felt slightly uncomfortable now, "Oh no, I'm fine. Thank you for your help!" Kira bowed and left. The waitress pouted and returned to what she was doing.

Meanwhile, Kallen was standing on the roof of a building, looking at the crystal clear moon and then down at the partying inhabitants. She frowned, "What is there to celebrate anyways?" She rested her head in her palm, as she was gazed down lazily at the party. It was then that Kallen saw a certain browned haired teenager that had consumed many of her waking hours with daydreams. Her pulse quickened and her body felt like ice, "Ki… ra?"

Kira, meanwhile, was walking around aimlessly until he looked up at the moon. At first he smiled, seeing the beauty of such a simple thing, but then he saw someone looking down at him from a building. He stared in disbelief, "Kallen?"

It was as if time stopped for the both of them as their eyes locked. Kira couldn't take his eyes off of her. She was as beautiful as he had remembered her. For Kallen, seeing Kira was filled with mixed emotions. She knew that he was a member of the Soldiers of Light; an organization that had virtually came from nowhere to foil Zero's plans. She also felt… she didn't know what she felt. She couldn't get him out of her mind. It was driving her crazy.

Kira began to walk towards the building. Kallen gulped and turned to face the door that led downstairs. Kira entered the building and asked for directions to the roof. He made his way up the stairs and finally reached the door to the roof. Kira stepped out and Kallen was there. She was holding her arm looking away. She lifted her gaze and smiled weakly, "Hi boy scout…"

Kira smiled weakly too, remembering how hurt he had felt the last time they had spoken to each other. He took a step forward, "Hello Kallen."

Kallen had never felt so confused in her life. She had never been so torn between two different sides of her. It was quite… annoying.

Kira stopped his advance, "What are you doing here?" he asked, his voice full of wonder.

Kallen looked up. She had forgotten that Kira did not know she was a member of the Shadow Legion. She stuttered, "I… Uh… I left Avalon to get away from it all. What are you doing here?"

Kira forgot that he was on a top secret mission. He didn't want to lie, but she wouldn't believe him if he told the truth, would she? He still couldn't lie to her… "I don't really know…" That was the truth. Before, Kira was racing to protect Athrun and Lacus… now what was he fighting for? Vengeance? Avalon? Suzaku's explanation on why this was necessary did not ring true with Kira. Kira didn't want to have to keep fighting, just to end fighting. In fact the only reason he came was to protect Luna… but she didn't really need protection.

Kallen seemed confused at his answer and was somewhat leery now of him, "You don't know?"

Kira smiled sadly, "I really don't know sometimes…"

Kallen was taken aback. He seemed genuine. That was something that really bothered her about him. Or did it? She didn't know anyone that was genuine, so the notion that someone could be that was somewhat foreign to her. She decided she would play along and see if she could find out what his real intentions were.

Kira stared at her in a daze, "You look great."

Kallen felt her skin go hot and her pulse quickened, "Oh… thanks."

Kira smiled, "So… about the last time we saw each other… I'm sorry for being so forward."

Kallen didn't know what to say. Kira continued, "Could I make it up to you at dinner? I think I still owe you one, since we never got to go to the restaurant back in Avalon."

Kallen was still unable to speak. Kira looked down, he then came up with a smile, "I know! Let's start over. My name is Kira Yamato, nice to meet you!" Kira extended his hand.

Kallen raised her own, "Kallen Stadfeldt."

The two shook hands and then stood looking at each other. Kira smiled, "Would you like to go out with me?"

Kallen's heart was really racing now… this was like a date! She had never gone out on a date! Kallen's thought process was flying at a mile per minute, "_Keep your head together Kallen… think clearly! This is part of your mission… that's all. You are collecting intelligence from the enemy! That's all this is. It's not a date… really. Just get to know Kira, get as much intel you can in a friendly manner and then you'll take him in. Then you can get more information… yeah, that's right."_

Kira sat expectantly and almost retracted his comment, but then Kallen looked up at him, "I've never been on a date before…"

Kira was surprised, but then he smiled, "There's nothing to it. It's just us getting to know each other, so then we can become friends. If you'd like to of course…"

Kallen smiled weakly, "Well… lead the way."

Kira grinned, "Okay!"

* * *

From far away, a lone teen dressed in white garbs watched Kira and Kallen through a pair of binoculars, "It appears the subject has met with a Shadow Legion representative known as Kallen Stadfeldt, Commander of the Zero Squadron. I have yet to ascertain, whether or not the subject knows this or not. This could be hazardous to the mission. If this problem persists I will eliminate the subject and minimize the threat. End log."

The teen smiled as he thought about his last statement, "This should be fun, Kira Yamato."

* * *

Kira and Kallen travelled together through the crowd filled streets. Kira smiled at her, "So where are you from?"

Kallen kind of cringed at the question, her face showing obvious displeasure, "I was born in Japan."

Kira saw her countenance and was immediately apologetic, "I'm sorry… I was too."

Kallen seemed surprised as she turned to face him. He smiled reassuringly, "I was born there, but after the Pacific War I was adopted by the Yamato's and lived in Orb. My sister, Cagalli, got separated from me and she was adopted by the Atha's. We met up again in the same middle school. So how did you get from Japan to Avalon?"

Kallen attempted to remember the lie she told Kira in the past. She decided to use it, "Well, my dad took us from Japan after the war also, and then we moved to Avalon. He was an engineer there working on Mobile Suits. That's all."

"Oh." Was all Kira had said; he had remembered how her father was killed.

Kallen seemed very sad, so Kira decided to brighten up the mood. There was a large court and people were dancing to live music. Kira grabbed Kallen's hand, "Come on! Follow me!"

"What? Where are you taking me?" Kallen attempted to protest.

Kira led them to the middle of the court. Once there he bowed deeply, "May I have this dance?" He looked up and grinned.

Kallen was shocked. She shook her head, "I can't. I've never danced before!"

Kira was shocked but he didn't let it ruin his playful mood. He wanted to make her happy, "Then there is no time like the present, is there?" He touched her hands and led her along.

The music was somewhat fast, but Kira picked up the beat quickly and let it flow in between the two of them. Kallen was so concentrated on Kira's feet that it made him laugh, "I don't know what I'm doing either you know!"

Kallen scoffed, "I doubt that…"

The two danced with everyone else there, the high tempo lifting their spirits. A few songs passed and Kallen was actually enjoying herself. Kira was happy that he could finally see her smile. Then the music died down, and the singer spoke into the mike, "All right folks…" The man had a raspy voice that just flowed out jazz, "Time for a slow song. I'm thinking… Fly Me to the Moon…" He pointed to the pianist and the music began.

Kira pulled Kallen slightly closer, his hand on the small of her back. Kallen felt her body burning up. It was such an odd, yet pleasant sensation. As the man on stage began to sing, Kira started to sway to the music with Kallen. She looked up into his eyes as he gazed back, smiling warmly. The two were enrapt in each other. As the music played, Kallen felt tears begin to form in her eyes. She had never been as happy as she was now. It all felt like a dream, but here she was dancing for the first time. She had always wanted to have a normal life; something that was denied her.

Kira used one of his hands to brush away her tears, "What's wrong?"

Kallen was surprised and shook his hand off, and wiped her tears herself, "Nothing. I'm fine."

Kira smiled, "Okay." They both returned to their silence, but it wasn't awkward. It was welcoming and allowed the two to just take in the moment.

"…In other words, oh in other words; in other words… I love you." The music finally ended. Kira and Kallen stood still and just looked at each other wondering what the other was thinking.

Kallen pushed away from Kira, which surprised him, but he smiled all the same. Kallen blushed, "Thanks… for the dance, I mean."

Kira smiled, "No problem. Are you hungry?"

Kallen shook her head, "No, I'm not."

Kira frowned, "Oh, okay."

Kallen remembered that guys usually ate a lot, "I'm guessing you are."

Kira's stomach growled right at that moment, causing the two teens to laugh. Kallen rolled her eyes, "All right boy scout. We might as well get you some food."

The two teens walked off toward the nearest café.

* * *

Kira had ordered his entrée already and was waiting for it to arrive. He was telling Kallen about Orb University and how he worked with computers. During his explanation, a ruckus could be overheard from their table. Kira stood, "What's going on?"

Kallen shrugged it off. She had heard that fights broke out in town all the time, so she paid it no special mind. Kira however was not that kind of person, "Wait here."

As Kira ran off in that direction, Kallen protested, "Kira wait!" As he disappeared into the crowd she scoffed, "Damn, boy scout!" She decided to chase after him.

Kira came up on a group of white bruiser looking men, beating up a single black man. Two of the aggressor's were holding the black man's arms, making sure he wouldn't escape. One of the aggressors was laughing after spitting in the hapless man's face, "Do you think you are better than us? Do you dreg?!" He punched the unfortunate man in the gut. The man was crying, speaking in his own language, begging them to stop.

"What was that?" the evil bully said, "Sorry, I don't understand your jibberish! Speak English!" The man socked the captive in the jaw and then again in the gut. The captive's body was shaking violently as he desperately attempted to withstand his aggressor's blows. "Come on blackie!" the man shouted while hitting the captive, "Speak up!"

The captive let out a pitiful cry as he sobbed. An ebony skinned woman sat on the sidelines crying. One of the aggressors turned to her, "Maybe we can score big time with this one! What do you say boys? You don't mind sharing, do you?"

The others laughed, causing the captive to scream out to his wife in their language. The woman's eyes went wide in horror as the men approached her. She let out a scream. There was a whole group of bystanders ignoring this situation. Kira was not one of them. He burst through the people and threw a rock at one of the men's head. The man clutched his skull in agony as it hit full force. He was sent sprawling to the ground.

"What the hell?" One of the aggressors yelled. Kira didn't lose his momentum. He dashed forward, despite the fact that there was five men still standing. Kira slid and dished out an uppercut on the foremost thug, and then spun around in a kick, hitting the man squarely in the gut. Kira turned again with a second kick that knocked the man to the ground. At that, the two men that weren't holding the captive advanced towards Kira, "Punk nosed brat! What the hell do you think you are doing?"

Kira lunged forward and shouldered one man, causing him to fall back a few steps. Kira ducked to the ground and swept, kicking the other man's legs out from under him. Kira roared, "Stop it!"

The man that had been swept kicked fell on the ground hard. Kira stood, as the man he had pushed back swung his fists furiously. Kira evaded and blocked with his arms. As one jab flew towards Kira, he let it pass him, and then proceeded in grabbing the man's arm and throwing the man over his body. As the man hit the ground, Kira grabbed hold of the man's arm and brought it around painfully behind his back. Kira used his free hand and hammered the man's head into the cobblestone.

Kira noticed the other two men had let their captive go and were advancing toward him. One kicked and caught Kira in the chin. Kira fell back as the other man grappled him. Kira was wrestling with the one man as the other came around and grabbed Kira as well. The thug began to punch the back of Kira's head repeatedly. "Eat this you stupid kid!"

Kira winced in pain at every blow he took. Suddenly it stopped though. Kira looked up to see Kallen standing over him. She had kicked the man that had been punching Kira, and sent him a few feet in the opposite direction. The man who had wrestled Kira released him, allowing Kira to fall to the ground and turned his attention on Kallen.

Kallen kicked, but the man blocked with his arms. Kira swept the man's leg with his own, causing the man to fall forward on all fours. Kallen used the opportunity and field goal kicked the man's face; the man's head whiplashed as he was sent into the air and landed with a sickening thud on the ground.

One thug was attempting to stand, "Son of a…"

Kallen walked over to the man. He looked up confused, since he remembered that it was a brown haired boy that had hit him, "Who the…"

Kallen roundhouse kicked him and sent that man toppling to the ground unconscious. She stepped over towards Kira and picked him up, "Are you okay?"

Kira was seeing some stars, but overall he was fine. He smiled at her. He then walked over to the black man that was being tended to by his wife. She looked up at Kira with fear, but then upon noticing that he was one of the people that had saved them, she smiled. Kira picked up the man, like a soldier carrying an injured comrade. He turned to Kallen, "Is there a hospital nearby?"

Kallen's face went dark, "Yes, but they won't accept him. You'll just waste your time."

Kira was so confused at this, "What why not?"

Kallen seemed very sad, "The same reason these men thought it was okay to beat him up: The color of his skin. The law does not protect him here."

Kira felt like he was in a completely different world, "What?"

Kallen looked up at him seriously, "I'm sorry to say it's the truth."

Kira turned to the woman, "Where can I take him?"

The woman started speaking in her language, but her body language allowed Kira to figure out that she wanted him to follow her. Kira followed her, dragging the man with him. Kallen lingered for a moment. The men she had just taken out were Shadow Legionnaires. Kallen curled her lip, "Scum is still scum though…"

With that she left to follow after Kira.

* * *

Kira and Kallen had followed the woman to the slums of town, where the lights were not lit and only the light of the full moon was able to illuminate their path. The woman motioned them inside. The wife pointed to the bed that was in the room. Kira laid the man gently upon his back. The wife meanwhile was getting a cloth and warm water which was difficult to do in the dark.

"Do they not have lights?" Kira asked.

Kallen shook her head, "I believe that this side of town is very poor and cannot afford electricity. Candles are a rarity as well."

Kira decided to pull out the PDA he had been given for the mission. He used the backlight to fill up the room with a dim light. Kallen noticed it and looked down at the screen. It was just wallpaper, but it read, SOL.

Kira was helping the woman clean some of the scrapes and cuts that the man had incurred. Kallen, meanwhile, was being tempted by the PDA. Her hand came forward, as she reached for the screen that held the secrets Zero wanted…

* * *

Lunamaria Hawke was having a less enjoyable evening. She had infiltrated the base and was done setting up all of the explosives. She was on her way out of the base when two Legionnaires stopped her. "Excuse me miss? Who are you? I don't recognize you."

Luna turned and gave the Legionary salute, "I am Lunamaria Hawke, and I just transferred here."

One Legionnaire was dressed in a white lab coat, "Really?" He pulled out a pistol and had it trained on Luna, "I am doctor Tamaki. I give every Legionnaire here a physical their first day. I know of every Legionnaire that belongs here, and you, my dear, are not one of them."

Luna cursed under her breath, "Oh, well crap I guess you found me out!" Luna hit the button that activated the explosives. Throughout the underground base, explosions could be heard and eventually one above them happened. The roof collapsed in on itself crushing Dr. Tamaki and the other Legionnaire. Luna booked it in the direction the bombs weren't present. "Kira better come!" Luna cursed as she sprinted towards safety.

* * *

Kallen was going to touch the screen of the PDA but it lit up even brighter and began to ring. She stepped away in surprise as Kira turned. He raced over to the PDA and picked it up. It was Luna's distress signal. Just as suddenly, sirens began to whir all over the town. Kallen froze, the base was under attack.

Kira looked around. Kallen reacted quickly and pulled out her switchblade. She lunged forward, her knee driving into Kira's chest and sending him to the ground. She pinned him, her dagger pressed against his throat. Her eyes were cold. Kira was confused at what was happening. Kallen spoke, "Tell me what is going on, Kira Yamato, Soldier of Light."

Kira couldn't believe what was happening, "Kallen I…"

Kallen pressed the blade closer to his throat, "Don't play cute with me Boy Scout! Tell me what you did!"

Kira was baffled. He looked into Kallen's eyes. It was completely different from an hour ago, when the two had danced so carefree. Before her eyes were warm, yet distant, afraid to be hurt, but now her eyes were that of a cold blooded killer. Kira gasped as the knife was pressing against his throat; he could feel it biting into his skin, "What do you want to know?"

She let the knife off a bit, "What was your plan?"

Kira sighed, "An agent was supposed to destroy the Shadow Legion's base… I'm guessing you're one of them."

Kallen smiled evilly, but tears had formed in her eyes, luckily, Kira couldn't see her face, "I'm the commander of the South African division. Lamperouge is the site of our underground base."

Kira couldn't believe what he was hearing, "What?" It was as if his world had been turned upside down. He had saved Kallen… he had thought about her often… but she was a member of the Shadow Legion. She worked for Zero… the man who had killed so many innocent people.

Kallen continued, "That's right! I used you this whole time! I knew you were from Sol! I piloted the Strike Noir in combat against you twice now!"

Kira remembered the black Strike. So that had been Kallen. Kira felt hot tears spilling down his face. "Why are you doing this?"

Kallen was taken aback by the question. Kira continued, "Why are you doing this? Why are you with the Shadow Legion? Why do you want to hurt so many innocent people?"

Kallen glared, grasped Kira's shirt, picked him up slightly and slammed him into the ground again, "Why!?" She yelled, "It doesn't matter why! No one is innocent! No one cared enough to save me from Japan when all hell broke loose! Not everyone was as fortunate as you and Cagalli! I sat and watched my mother be shot to death! I grew up knowing that the only person that would take care of me was myself! Tell me why that's fair Kira! Why did you get to be saved and why did I have to be left behind!" She let him go and in her anger drove the knife into Kira's shoulder.

Kira screamed in pain, as a searing sensation penetrated his body. Kallen was crying now, "I joined the Shadow Legion to get out of Japan! Zero cared enough for me to take me away from there… That's why!"

Kira could hardly talk as he felt the knife dig deeper inside of him. Blood was flowing out and onto the blade. He let out a short breath, "But, it's not worth it…"

Kallen seemed surprised and was silenced. She listened to Kira as he used all of his energy to speak clearly, "I'm sorry… that happened… to you Kallen… I'm sorry… that you had to go through that. I can only imagine… but… you don't have to… aah… be alone… anymore… rrrgh!"

Kallen didn't know what to do. She didn't know what to say. Her eyes sought out Kira's in the darkness. She pulled the dagger out quickly, causing Kira to gasp out in pain. He grasped Kallen's arms. She flinched for a moment, expecting Kira to hurt her, but his clutch slackened. The sirens continued to blare.

Kira smiled weakly, his voice kind and smooth, "I want to be… your friend Kallen."

Kallen gasped. This felt so familiar to her; it was as if it had happened before. Kallen had another flash back. She was three and she had been pushed in the dirt. She had cried, but then a boy picked her up and said, "Can we be friends?"

Kallen found herself staring down at Kira, "Kira?"

"Yes… Aah…" Kira winced again.

"How can I just walk away from it all?"

Kira pondered a moment, but then smiled, "Just take the first step… and then you're on your way."

Kallen stood up and started to cry. The sirens were blaring while Kallen was letting out all of her anger, frustration and anxiety in the form of tears. Kira stood up as well, though he was light headed. He stepped forward and hugged Kallen from behind. She turned around and threw herself into his arms. She didn't know why… but, for the first time in 14 years, she didn't feel alone anymore.

The world around them was going insane, but at least they were not alone.

_**

* * *

**_

Author's Note:

Well, another chapter is finished… I hope you all enjoy and that it makes sense.

A special thanks to **iCards**, I'm glad that you're warming up to KiraxKallen. That's kind of the direction I'm taking now. And you're right, there are a lot of red heads… Thanks for all of your reviews!

Also, I'd like to thank **Mathiasosx** for the review. I'm sorry I didn't put up the pairings. I like to have a little suspense… maybe that's wrong on my part. Thanks again for taking the time to update!

Again, sorry for the contents of this chapter... I really dislike racism as it is a stupid, tunnel-visioned, simple minded handicap that brings out the worst in humanity... Rrgh... even just thinking about it makes my blood boil...

Another thanks to everyone that has read, favorited, or is watching my story! I hope I can continue to write well enough for your entertainment! Sorry, I think I have everything with the programs figured out now, so the newest version should be 'mostly'... flawless.

Until next Thursday,

Sincerely,

~Vanguarde


	13. Into the Night

**Chapter XII**

**Into the Night**

Kira and Kallen stood transfixed to that spot as the quietly held each other. Kallen had never had someone to hold her before. She had little memory of her family and she had never before allowed anyone to get this close to her. For whatever reason, she had allowed Kira into a place in her heart that no one else had ever seen.

"Kira?" Kallen whispered.

"Yes?"

"I…" tears started to well up again inside her.

Kira stroked her hair, "Don't worry about it. I'm fine."

Kallen cried into Kira's body. As Kira held her close, he noticed a green laser settling on her; Kira reacted almost instantly by forcing both of them to the ground.

A bullet burst through the window, embedding itself into the dirt floor. The wife screamed as she threw herself on top of her injured husband, as if to shield him. Kira grimaced as he picked Kallen up with his good arm. Kallen waved him off, "Who's shooting!"

Kira looked through the window; on the roof, across the street, he saw the silhouette of a man holding a rifle. "There!" He pointed.

The silhouette jumped from off the three-story roof and landed on the ground neatly.

"Whoah!" Kira exclaimed, "_How did that guy survive a drop like that without hurting himself?"_

The man screamed out, "Kira Yamato? You haven't been a very good Soldier of Light have you? I mean, here you are talking badly about Akira, and now you are hugging one of Zero's lackeys. Tsk, tsk, you should have been more careful."

Kira hugged the wall, while Kallen decided to do the same, "Who are you?" Kira yelled out.

The young man smiled, "My name is Abel." Kira glanced from behind cover. Abel had pale skin and was about the same height as him and about the same build. Abel had light green hair that was in an emo style. He wore a white trench coat, and sunglasses. He was still holding the long, slender, but intimidating rifle.

Kira frowned, "What do you want Abel?"

"For you to die!" Abel cackled, "You see, I was sent to check up on you, see if you could be trusted and all, but all these red flags kept popping up! So, in my report, I was ordered to kill you if you decided to leave us. I take you and Stadfeldt being together, very seriously."

Kira gritted his teeth. His fists clenched and unclenched as he pondered at what to do. Kallen, however, reacted first. She flew over and out of the broken window in an instant and bore down on Abel.

The green haired assassin, being taken aback, panicked and lowered his rifle, letting a shot off. Kallen had effortlessly evaded. She closed the distance between them in merely milliseconds. She kicked the barrel of the gun into the air and then she spun and kicked Abel in the chest. He staggered back for a moment, dropping the rifle. He brought his arms up in time to block Kallen's next kick. He ducked down and swept his leg out. He caught Kallen's leg, causing her to be knocked prone. She hit the ground but rolled backwards, springing to her feet. Abel had already closed the distance between them and had thrown a punch. Kallen used her arms to swipe his fist away, and she followed up by backhanding him.

Abel fell back a few steps, spitting out the blood that had started to fill his mouth. He took off his glasses, revealing putrid yellow eyes; he smiled wickedly, an image that was only intensified by the blood that now stained his teeth, "You're good. I guess it's to be expected of from Zero's favorite Legionnaire."

Kallen glared, "Shut up!" The thought of being Zero's lapdog was not something she wanted anymore.

In anger, she charged forward, her leg coming up in an arc to meet Abel's head. He dodged, but Kallen continued to build upon her momentum. She let out a flurry of kicks, slowly gaining ground. Abel fell back under her onslaught, and whatever kicks he did not manage to block ended up bruising him. This continued right up until the point Abel grabbed her leg, "You've had your fun! Now it's my turn!"

He used both his arms, spun in a circle like a discus thrower, and tossed Kallen away with superhuman strength. Kallen was too surprised and could only scream as she was hurdling through the air. She landed on the ground hard and rolled to a stop. She didn't get up.

At this point Kira was already running towards Abel, "Raah!"

Abel was surprised, but nevertheless, he caught Kira's fist with ease, "Do you really think you can stop me? I was merely playing with her. You're way out of your league, Yamato."

Abel then proceeded in seizing Kira, as he had Kallen, and threw him into the wall. The concrete cracked from the impact. Kira felt the wind rush out of him as his body went into shock. Kira hit the ground and couldn't get up. It was a strange sensation. Kira couldn't breathe, could hardly think or register anything besides the immense pain that was beginning to surge throughout his body. He lay there completely unaware of the world around him. That is until he heard Kallen screaming.

"No… NO! Get off of me! Don't do this! You monster!"

Kira willed his heavy head to look towards her. Abel had picked up Kallen and had pinned her to the wall. He had ripped open her blouse and was starting to undo her jeans. Tears streamed down her face, as pain, fear and humiliation engulfed her.

Abel laughed, "I love it! When they lose all hope! This is always so much fun!"

Kira couldn't take it anymore. He forgot all of the pain that had wracked his body. A seed burst open in his mind's eye and the next thing Kira knew he was rushing the assassin. Kira's fist connected to the side of Abel's head, causing him to drop Kallen. Abel looked bewildered as he noticed it was Kira that stood in front of him. Kira's fist connected with Abel's face, causing a sickening crack to reverberate through the tiny street. Kira continued and punched Abel in the gut as hard as he could. Abel gasped out as blood spurt from his mouth. Kira used the opportunity to seize Abel and pick him up. Abel was dazed as Kira jumped into the air; Kira had Abel upside down.

"_What's going on?"_ Abel thought dully, "_I'm a genetically enhanced human... how is this boy defeating me?"_

This was the last thing Abel was aware of. Upon falling down, Abel's head connected to the ground first. His body folded into an unnatural position as Kira attacked him without mercy. Abel was unable to move or do anything. The world was swimming around him and all he was aware of was an immense pain.

Kira stood over his defeated opponent, eyes blazing, but then he turned to see Kallen who was holding herself. Kira abandoned the defeated, worthless creature in front of him and decided to comfort his friend.

As Kira approached her, he felt the effects of Seed wear off. He gently wrapped his arms around her, "Everything is okay now. I'm here."

Kallen swatted his arms away, "Don't touch me!"

Kira was a bit hurt but he felt he could sympathize with her, "Okay, I'm sorry. Let's get you a new shirt and get out of here."

Kallen glared at him, "No! The Soldiers of Light are just as bad as the Shadow Legion! What makes you think I'm going with you!"

"I'm not going back to them…" Kira interrupted.

Kallen was somewhat surprised, "What do you mean you're not going back? Where will you go?"

Kira smiled, "Let's go home. Besides, I would like my parents to meet you. I've never brought a girl home before and they've been worried about me. They keep saying stuff like, 'You're never going to get a girlfriend', or, 'When do you plan on getting married', and 'You know, we know this nice girl down the street. Would you like us to introduce you?'"

Kallen ignored his joke and seemed more confused than anything, "Go… home?"

Kira smiled warmly, "Yeah, home."

He picked her up and walked her away from the area.

* * *

Lunamaria Hawke cursed as she was running out of the Shadow Legion Complex. She huffed, wheezed and coughed as her lungs caught some clean air; the smoke had done some damage to her. She collapsed on the ground when she was a good distance away, "Where the hell is Yamato?"

She looked around. There were a few Legionnaires scrambling to get out of there, but she was pretty much all by herself. She stared at the complex as the fire was roaring and the smoke was towering high. She allowed herself to fall back into the dirt. She ruffled her hair, "Where the hell is Yamato! When he gets home, that husband of mine is in the doghouse! I'll make him beg for mercy!"

Luna sat still pondering what she had just said. It was then that she just burst out laughing. She had overcome the Shadow Legion single-handedly and met a boy that she was somewhat interested in. "All I know is he better get here soon…" She sighed as she lay back and just let the world pass her by.

* * *

Kira winced as the antiseptic penetrated his wound. Kallen had taken him to where she had parked the Strike Noir. The sirens had ceased long ago, and now mostly everything was quiet. The Villagers had evacuated to the shelters.

Kallen focused on her medical treatment but glanced up at Kira occasionally. He was simply watching her work. She frowned, "This may hurt a little." She yanked on the gauze causing it to go tight on the wound. Kira winced but took it in like a man. Kallen dusted her hands off, "Well, a good night's work, I say."

Kira smiled, "Thanks."

Kallen smiled back warmly, "No problem! Now let's go get this Freedom Gundam of yours…"

As Kallen walked away, Kira just watched. She was in her flight suit and wow… was she pretty.

Kallen turned, "Are you coming Boy Scout?"

Kira smiled, "Yeah, sorry."

The two got into the Noir's cockpit and flew to the Freedom's position.

Upon their arrival, Kira got into the cockpit of the Freedom. He turned on the OS and watched as the instruments lit up. He turned on a closed channel so he could speak with Kallen directly, "All right. We'll make our way to Orb then."

Kallen nodded, "Right… and Kira?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

Kira smiled, "Anytime."

And with that the two mobile suits disappeared into the morning sky...

* * *

Lelouch Lamperouge was sitting in his quarters, a chess board in front of him. He had just been informed that the South Africa base was destroyed and only a handful of Legionnaires had been recovered. Kallen was not among them. Lelouch glared at the pieces on the board. He couldn't take it anymore; in a scream of frustration, Lelouch stood suddenly and sent all of the chess pieces flying as he swept the board clean. He heaved heavily as he leaned his weight on the table.

C2 was a silent observer to this pitiful scene. Lelouch looked over to her. At first he was angry, but then his face smoothed out and he laughed, "Do you find me pathetic C2?"

C2's countenance was unreadable but hauntingly cold as she said, "Yes."

At her words, Lelouch felt very heavy. He sat back down in the chair next to him, exhausted, "I see…"

C2 frowned, "Perhaps Akira has betrayed us…"

Lelouch frowned as well, "It is definitely a possibility. I've had my suspicions for some time now. No one but Akira knows of the base in South Africa. No one could have known we were attempting to capture Princess Lacus either, and yet the Soldiers of Light were upon us the moment we arrived. He may be orchestrating their actions as well."

C2 stared at Lelouch, "Why do you believe he would do this to us?"

Lelouch smiled, "It's quite simple really. No matter how intelligent the man is, his motives and dealings are transparent."

"Oh?" C2 perked a brow.

"Yes, you see, when he put me in charge of the Shadow Legion, he told me that he wanted to fundamentally change the world. Wicked nations preyed upon others for advancement. War continually occurring in a never ending cycle; this cycle is, to him, the abomination of humanity…"

C2 bowed her head, "I see…"

"Tell me C2? What is essence of humanity?" Lelouch asked as if he were addressing a student.

C2 pondered for a moment, but then decided to speak, "Selfishness."

Lelouch smiled, "Yes, and why are we selfish?"

"Is it not just the way humans inherently are?"

Lelouch smiled, "No; human beings are individuals that have the potential for unconditional goodness, or, infinite evil."

C2 was surprised to hear this from Lelouch. He continued, "Akira Akira sees a world full of selfish people that only think of themselves; to him, they are inherently evil. Even if someone helps another, it is only to achieve a personal, selfish goal. He manipulates others to bring to pass his own goal as well. This is his perception of the inequality of the human being. He would take away our individuality in order to make all men equal in his eyes. A world where everyone has the same things, there is no one that would be out of the norm. He wants unity. He would destroy the world to create a new one, and in this new world, people would be unified because they are all stripped of individuality. His new world shall be one where everyone gets along, because everyone is the same. But there is a flaw in his plan…"

C2 was somewhat anxious, "What is that?"

"An antithesis: Individuality is equality."

C2 didn't understand. Lelouch explained, "Think of it C2. We are born; we are given a life and given separate and unique experiences. Different people will react somewhat differently to the same stimulus. Two people on the same track will inevitably have differences, even if those differences are small. Why?"

"Is it perhaps, because of their volition?" C2 injected.

Lelouch smiled, "Yes, but why do we have volition? Why can we reason? Why are we, who we are? It is not the experiences that make up a person; those are merely a backdrop that enhances a quality that is already present."

"I do not know." C2 sighed.

"The human soul is the reason we are able to be who we are, the reason we may think of ourselves as 'I', the reason we are able to make choices and decisions. Our souls are equal, because we have our own unique identity; so, in other words, our differences is what makes us equal."

C2 seemed skeptical, "I never took you for the philosophical type."

Lelouch laughed at that. C2 frowned, "So why do you do the things you do?"

Lelouch smiled, "I became Zero so that I could destroy this world with fire; this was Akira's promise to me; we have the same course, but different destinations in mind. I am the reason of countless murders, all for the sake of the realization of our individuality. When I was young, I hated my life and cursed God for my fortune. I was forced to spend my youth in Japan after the Pacific War. I grew up, seeing people kill each other and commit all manner of abominations, and one day I asked myself, 'Why? Why is the world in which I live so accursed?'"

C2 was silent as Lelouch's eyes became fixated on her, "The answer, I found, was that human beings have agency. They can choose to do Evil, they could choose to hate and kill and plunder… But, I felt that they could also choose to do Good. Akira wants a new world where people have no agency, essentially, in this world; the human soul is a prisoner. In the world that I would create, history would be the tutor that would allow the people to choose to do Good… they would see all the pain and the suffering that their predecessors went through and they would choose a better path, until they finally reached perfection. This path of life would allow people to find happiness in what they have…"

C2 looked away, "You are a hypocrite…" She smiled, "You speak of having the ability to choose, and yet your Geass robs the individual of this right."

Lelouch smiled, "It is only because of Akira that this curse was given to me. I intend to use it to destroy his world and create my own. I will most likely be thrown into the eternal fires of Hades, but at least, the world will have the chance to reach a higher plane."

C2 stood up and walked over to him, "Then I shall stand by you, till the very end." She went onto her tip toes and kissed him. Lelouch was surprised at first, but gave into her warmth, and kissed her back

* * *

Athrun Zala paced back and forth while he waited for Lacus and Meer to come out of their rooms. Meer had wanted to have a night of fun in Eden. Lacus agreed, so naturally, Athrun had to tag along. Normally it wouldn't have bothered him, but 'he' was coming along as well.

At that very moment, a brown haired teen with green eyes appeared. Athrun nodded, "Kururugi."

Suzaku took up a place next to Athrun, "Sir Zala."

The two stood silently while they waited. Both of the teens had multiple thoughts streaming through their minds, but neither of them was brave enough to bring any of anything up. They stood awkwardly in silence until the two pink haired idols appeared. They were both wearing outfits that fit a theme. Lacus was dressed in white giving the impression that she was an angel, while Meer had black, scanty clothes and was supposed to represent a devil. Athrun was taken in by Lacus, but upon seeing the coordination that went on between the two, he had to stifle a laugh.

Suzaku was having the same problem.

Lacus frowned, "Is there something wrong with our appearance?"

Meer pouted, "Yeah, what's up with the both of you?"

Suzaku stifled his laughter, "No… nothing. We weren't laughing…"

Athrun nodded in accordance, as the two knights attempted to stand stalwartly; but this guise quickly dissipated as the two broke into more laughter.

Lacus and Meer's reaction was the synchronized, "Ugh! Boys!"

The two girls retreated to their rooms, leaving Athrun and Suzaku alone again. The two continued to laugh. When that laughter subsided, Athrun looked up at Suzaku. Their eyes met and through their happiness, they were able to connect again. The two did not say anything to each other, but they both knew that their friendship had been healed a little bit. It was no longer an awkward silence, but a comfortable one.

* * *

Akira Akira frowned as he had recieved his agent's report, "You realize Abel, that your failure means that Hibiki is now a threat to us?"

Abel's voice came in through the computer in front of Akira, "I apologize for my failure my lord. I shall mobilize in the _Sadist _right away and destroy Yamato."

Akira frowned, "Make sure that you do. I do now want to lose Ms. Clyne and her support. My plan is currently in a fragile stage."

Abel bowed, "Yes, My Lord…"

With that the screen went blank. Akira sat for a moment and then pressed a few keys, "Asuka?"

A male voice responded, "Doctor Akira? How can I help you?"

"I need you to retrieve a pilot of ours in South Africa. It is imperative that you do so quickly. Her partner, Kira Yamato, was killed by the Shadow Legion and she is stranded there."

Shinn Asuka nodded on the other end, "All right, I'll move out ASAP."

"Good. Her name is Lunamaria Hawke. I'll update your PDA with the mission parameters. That is all."

"Yes, sir." The communication ended.

Akira sat in his dark room contemplating, a replica of _The Creation of Adam _by Michelangelo behind him. Akira was musing, until a poem by William Ernst Henley came to mind, "It matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul…"

**Author's Note:**

All right, sorry for not updating last week… and I'm sorry that this chapter is not up to par with the others… I had experienced writer's block and as such, this chapter is not as strong or as engaging as I would like. I hope you all enjoy anyways! Thank you for your continued support!

Thank you, **iCards** for your review. It is always encouraging and uplifting! I'm glad you enjoy reading!

Thank you as well, **PinkCarnation^_^417** for your continued support. I'm glad you enjoy the Kallen/Kira relationship and I hope that it is fleshing out well enough. I do my best, even with my limited skill in writing.

Anyhow, this has been a busy week as has the last one, but I will definitely stay on time for now on. Who knows, maybe my next chapters will be the best I write yet! Thank you again for your edifying comments and for your continued support! Enjoy!

Sincerely,

**Vanguarde**


	14. The Calm

**Chapter XIII**

**The Calm…**

Athrun could not believe his ears; his voice became louder and more threatening as he spoke, "Kururugi, if this is a joke then…" He grabbed Suzaku by the shirt; the latter youth glared back,

"Look, it's not as if I enjoy having to tell you this. Kira was killed by the Shadow Legion. He died in battle."

Athrun was trembling all over. He thrust Suzaku away, "That can't be true… Kira was… Kira is…" the words couldn't come out.

Suzaku looked away, "I'm sorry." He gave Athrun a quick salute and left.

Lacus stood around the corner listening, "Kira…" She whispered.

Athrun stood alone trembling as tears threatened to roll down his face. He thought about all the times he and Kira had spent together growing up in middle school. His anger caused him to slam his fist on the wall, "Damn it!"

Lacus jumped at Athrun's outburst, but she gathered her courage and rounded the corner, "Athrun?"

Athrun stopped cold and turned to Lacus. He immediately sobered, "Your majesty… I…"

Lacus shook her head, "I'm no longer royalty; remember? Just call me by my name…"

Athrun hesitated, "Lacus… I'm sorry. You didn't… hear… anything; did you?"

Lacus sympathized with her Knight, "Oh Athrun…" tears started to well up in her eyes, "Come here!"

She hugged Athrun, catching him off guard, but he gave in and hugged her back. He felt all the emotions start to well up inside of him; he attempted to keep it in, but his body started to shake from the effort.

"Oh Athrun!" She cried, "Everything is okay… you can cry into me."

Athrun pushed Lacus away, "No… I don't have time for tears…"

Lacus seemed confused, "But Athrun?"

Athrun smiled, albeit weakly, "I'm just going to have to stick with Akira's plan. Then we can save Avalon and avenge Kira."

Lacus felt the negative wave of emotion that emanated from his words; the thought of vengeance was unsettling to her, "We can't… we can't use this as a way to get revenge, Athrun. Our cause is nobler than that. Besides…" she paused, "Kira wouldn't have wanted that…"

Athrun felt as if he had been slapped, so he just stared at the ground, "What do you know about Kira anyways?"

Lacus felt hurt that Athrun would say such a thing, and slightly upset that he had talked back to her; it wasn't something she was used to, "Well, I know that Kira was a good person. He had a gentle heart and a kind smile; he wouldn't want you to hurt others because of him."

Athrun knew she was right and now he felt bad that he had retaliated against her, "I'm sorry Lacus… I… I need to be alone for a while."

Lacus nodded understandingly, but somewhat curtly, "Fine." She turned around and walked away saying nothing else.

Athrun's heart twinged with guilt, "I'm sorry…" He watched as Lacus disappeared around the corridor, leaving him alone.

* * *

Kira didn't feel comfortable in Zankhala, but Kallen had insisted that this town was the best place for secret transportation. Kallen smiled at Kira, "What's the matter; you feeling a little out of place Boy Scout?"

Kira glared defiantly, "No, not at all!"

Kallen smiled thinly, "Okay, whatever you say. Just try to keep up."

Kira nodded. The two zigzagged through the busy street that was teeming with all sorts of ruffians and crooks. Kira was wondering where all of these people had come from, "Hey, Kallen?"

"Yeah?" She answered without looking back.

He hesitated for a moment, "Um, so what is this place again?"

Kallen grinned, "It's a pirate island. There is a black market here; no one really knows about it, besides the few people that want to stay hidden and do their business secretly."

Kira mused over that but had found a flaw in all of this, "How do they not get found? I mean, most countries have satellite imaging and stuff; and intelligence agents and such, don't they?"

Kallen shook her head, "Rookie. They use a Mirage System that keeps this place off the map, and anyone stupid enough to look for this place usually doesn't live very long."

Kira gulped as he accepted that and the two continued on in silence. They passed through a small alley way, passing by some sleazy men that were eyeballing the two of them. Kallen glared at them as she passed, "What are you looking at?"

The lead man was about to say something witty, but Kallen drew her pistol out of her belt and placed the end of the barrel on the man's forehead. She grinned, "Say something cute and I'll kill you."

Her voice was full of ice and venom. The man was thoroughly intimidated and just shook his head, affirming that he had got the message, while muttering something unintelligible, and the other guys were hesitant to do anything, lest their pal gain an extra orifice.

Kallen smiled and took to gun off the man's head. She smiled at Kira and the two went on their way.

Kira was uneasy because of the way Kallen had handled the situation and she picked up on that. It actually made her feel somewhat guilty. Kallen's mind was racing, "_I wonder what he's thinking exactly… I hope he doesn't think I'm some kind of masochist…"_

The two walked on in silence as they reached a massive tent made of black material. There was a Jolly Roger insignia that had been altered, so instead of a skull, it was a Zaku. Kira turned to Kallen, "You can't be serious…"

Kallen shrugged, "They're some of the best pirates around. So they have a corny emblem; so what?"

Kira wasn't too sure, "So these guys can really transport us to Orb?"

"Yeah, the Captain of these pirates has an airship."

Kallen walked up to the guards,

"Hey Vacant Lots! Anyone home? I'm Kallen Stadfeldt, I want to see Miro."

The two guards realized that they had been insulted, but they recognized Kallen. The guards whispered among themselves, while Kallen waited patiently, "Whoah, its Kallen the Black Vixen!"

"No way, I'll go let the Boss know!"

One guard disappeared into the tent. The other smiled as he stared at Kallen, "We'll let him know you're here."

Kallen glared, "Hey buddy! My eyes are up here!"

The guard caught her drift and let his eyes fall down to the ground, "Sorry…"

Kira whispered in her ear, his voice full of doubt, "Are these pirates really the best in the business?"

Kallen laughed, "Well, maybe not, but Miro owes me a favor after the Shadow Legion saved their hides."

Kira nodded understandingly, "I see."

The two waited outside for a little while until the guard appeared again, "Okay, His lordship, Miro, has granted you an audience; but only Miss Stadfeldt here can come along. The boy has to wait out here."

Kira was about to protest but Kallen cut him off, "Don't sweat it Yamato, I'll be fine. Just make sure to keep that pretty little head of yours intact okay?"

Kira growled, "Fine."

Kallen winked, "Good boy!"

Kira shook his head and walked off to find a place to sit, "Girls…"

Kallen smiled and disappeared into the tent.

* * *

Luna sat around in a courtyard in Lamperouge, "I can't believe Kira ditched me. I can't find his Freedom Gundam anywhere… but all of his stuff was still in our room… interesting… so did something happen to Kira?"

She was mentally going through every possible scenario, some filling her with anger and others making her laugh hysterically. A daydream of Kira suddenly turning very flamboyant and running off with a circus hand, named Joe, was pretty amusing to her.

The sun was beating down on her until a shadow covered her. She glared, "Hey, you're blocking my sun!"

The young man in front of her had jet black hair that was unkempt. He wore traditional desert nomadic clothes, and sunglasses. He took them off for dramatic effect, revealing his blood red eyes, "Are you Lunamaria Hawke of SOL?"

Luna's hand reached for her sidearm and drew it, but he didn't flinch. Luna smiled, "I'll blow your brains out, Legionnaire!"

Shinn shook his head, "Gosh you're stupid. My name is Shinn Asuka. SOL sent me to pick you up."

Luna couldn't believe her ears. Shinn Asuka was one of Akira's top Angels. That wasn't what stood out the most to her, however, "Hey! Who are you calling stupid?"

Shinn rolled his eyes, "Was I really sent here just to pick you up?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luna pouted.

Shinn shook his head, "It means you're obnoxious."

"I'm obnoxious!" Luna gasped, "Have you seen yourself in a mirror?"

"We're in public…" Shinn ground his teeth.

Luna stood up completely ignoring their earlier conversation, "Hey wait… Do you know what happened to Kira?"

Shinn turned, glancing over his shoulder, "Oh you don't know? He's KIA."

Luna felt like she had been slapped, "Really?"

Shinn nodded, "Yeah, but it serves him right for not being more careful. He wasn't your boyfriend was he?"

Luna didn't know how to respond to that. Shinn decided to speak when Luna didn't, "Oh, sorry. Come on, we have to get going."

"He wasn't my boyfriend… but I thought he would last a lot longer than he did…" Luna whispered.

Shinn shrugged, "Oh well, this is war and it happens. Now let's get going so we can reach the Destiny before it get's dark."

Lunamaria just nodded and followed Shinn as he left the courtyard.

* * *

Lacus sat alone in her room crying. She was frustrated that Athrun had been so standoffish, she was upset that Kira had been killed, she was tired of the continual disappointment and hurt that she had been bombarded with in the last month. "It's not fair daddy… why did all of this happen? I tried really hard to do what you'd want me to do. I went to the peace convention but then… why is life so difficult! It's not fair! Kira was a kind and gentle person… he didn't want to fight. I could understand how he felt… being stuck in a place you didn't want to be, but being morally obligated to stand by and take whatever fate's cruel hand could throw at you…"

Lacus cried into her pillow some more. She hadn't known that Kira had had such an extreme effect on her. His constant praises, and his kind manner, his smile, his good nature, his willingness to help others, his disdain for war and violence… he reminded her of her father, and now he was gone. The young man that she had hugged on the Camelot, that she had given water too; he was gone, just like her father.

Lacus brushed the tears away, "Why are you crying so much… And why are you thinking of Kira?"

She looked about her room and was surprised when her Communication Link, on the far wall, came to life, "I'm sorry Miss Clyne this is Doctor Akira. Are you there?"

Lacus got up and did her best to sound as if she hadn't just been crying. She clicked the answer button on the link, "I'm here Doctor. How may I help you?"

The doctor smiled on the other end, "Oh good. It was about my plan. I would like to begin it now."

Lacus was surprised, "Right now? Are you sure?"

Akira nodded, "Yes, it would seem that this is the most optimal time to proceed. We shall announce your return with the debut of the Soldiers of Light and explain to the world that we are standing against the Shadow Legion and all who are in league with them. You will use your philosophy of love and peace to show the world that you are sinless youth. We'll make you into our first Saint."

Lacus was apprehensive, "Doctor, are you sure this plan will work? Wasn't it you who said that the people wouldn't want anything to do with me?"

"Just stick to the plan and everything will work out in the end." Akira said resolutely.

Lacus wasn't as confident but she gave in, "Very well."

Akira smiled, "Good. Let's take back Avalon then."

With that the communication ended. Lacus sat back onto her bed. Tears streamed down her face. She was terrified, but she knew that this is what needed to be done, "It's for Avalon… it's for my father…"

She sat alone for a few more moments before she stood and made her way to the door.

* * *

"Athrun… it's time…" Lacus said dully.

Athrun stared at her, "All ready?"

"Yes…"

Athrun shook his head, "No, there has to be another way…"

Lacus put a hand on his shoulder, "Don't worry… there's not much more fate can take from me now…"

Athrun glared, "What are you talking about! We can walk away from all of this and go far away from here!"

Lacus shook her head, silencing him, "There are too many people that I would be robbing of happiness if I did that. I need to do this, so that we can give hope to the people of Avalon. Goodbye, Athrun, until we meet again."

Tears formed in her eyes as she walked away. Athrun was speechless and just watched her walked away… he had not thought of the plan that Akira had presented to them for some time, thinking that it would happen later than sooner… He felt emptiness fill up his heart as he leaned on the wall and slid down to the floor.

* * *

Kira waited around, but he was becoming restless, it had been three whole hours. He kept trying to peek inside the tent, but the guards always got in his way or threatened to do something to him. He was worried that something had happened to Kallen. He sat with his head in his hands when he heard a familiar feminine voice fill the silence, "Hey Boy Scout. Did you miss me?"

Kira stood up, "Kallen! You're okay!"

Kallen nodded, "Yeah, there's just this whole song and dance you have to do in order to get Miro to give you anything."

Kira seemed confused, "Like what?"

Kallen shrugged, "Tell war stories, exchange information, give him something he wants, and show him a few things…" She let the last part drop off seductively.

Kira blushed, "Wh- wh- what are you talking about?"

Kallen shrugged nonchalantly, "Just things."

Kira grabbed her shoulders with his good arm, "He didn't do anything to you did he?"

Kallen smiled mischievously, "Why, are you jealous?"

"What? No! I was just worried about you! If anything happened to you I wouldn't know what to do!"

Kallen was surprised at his genuine concern, "Oh… well, no, nothing happened. Oh here, take your shirt off."

Kira blushed, "What?"

Kallen rolled her eyes, "I got some nano-machines that will heal your arm up, now take your shirt off so I can treat you."

Kira shook his head. Kallen grabbed him and started to lift his shirt, "Come on! It's not like I haven't seen a guy's torso before! Get over yourself Yama…" She stopped as she saw the scar on Kira's side.

"Where did you get that scar?" She whispered.

Kira shrugged, "I don't know I got it when I was young."

Her fingers trailed over his back and onto the scar; it felt so much like hers… and it was in the same place in her body... it was just like her dream. It was just like the boy who had thrown himself in front of her.

Kira shivered slightly at her touch at first, but didn't want her to stop. It felt good, her hands on his bare back. His euphoria ended as soon as Kallen had jabbed the nano-machine dispenser into his shouler, "Ow!"

Kallen focused on her task, "Oh don't be a baby Kira… I just need to make sure the right amount of machine's get in there."

After Kallen was done she threw Kira shirt on top of his head, "Now get dressed."

Kira fought with the tangled clothes and looked up at Kallen, "Man… you are a handful."

Kallen smirked, "You didn't have to be my friend."

Kira was surprised at that, "Wait… are we… friends?"

Kallen shrugged, "That's what you wanted back in Avalon, wasn't it?"

Kira smiled, "Yeah…"

Kallen blushed slightly at his smile. She turned to avoid his gaze, "Well, um, let's get going. Miro said that he could have the airship transport us to Orb tonight. We'll be there with our mobile suits in the early morning."

Kira was surprised, "That early?"

"Yeah…" Kallen replied.

The two teens sat in silence for a moment, but Kallen had something on her mind, "When you were joking about your parents… have you ever had a girlfriend?"

Kira was surprised for a moment, "Um… Where'd that come from?"

Kallen turned away, "Never mind, stupid question."

"Yeah, I had one before." Kira said quietly.

Kallen was surprised. She hadn't really ever had a conversation like this, so she was curious, but his last comment left her feeling… jealous? "Who was she?" Kallen asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible.

Kira stood up, "Her name is Fllay Alster. We dated sophomore year. She was my first girlfriend and the only one I ever had."

"Oh… what happened?" Kallen asked, trying to sound interested still, though she was secretly wishing harm on this Fllay girl.

"She broke up with me during the summer of that year and started dating a friend of mine. They've been together ever since."

Kallen seemed surprised, "You sound a little broken up about it."

Kira shook his head, "Nah, besides, it was three years ago and we're all really good friends now…"

Kallen could tell something was wrong, "What's on your mind?"

Kira looked down, "I just remembered that my friends were still in Avalon when I left them. I hope they made it home safely… and even if they did. I'm worried about them. I'm sure they are worried about me."

Kallen started to walk away, "It must be nice… having people that care about you."

Kira jogged up next to her, "Isn't it though?" he offered his hand.

Kallen was surprised, but she accepted and took his gingerly. The two walked off in a random direction.

"Hey Kallen?" Kira asked quietly.

"Yeah?" Kallen replied.

"Where are we going anyways?"

Kallen took her hand away and used it to knock his noggin, "You mean you were leading me and you don't even know where we were going?"

"Ow! I'm sorry I just thought that you knew. That's all!" Kira laughed as Kallen stormed off, towards their mobile suits, steaming.

Kira smiled as he looked up to the now orange, twilight sky, "Hopefully we can go home now…"

* * *

"Dearka Elsman, you have been assigned to the United States Air Force Special Division. Do you swear to uphold your country and your leaders and fight with all your efforts until your dying breath? Furthermore, do you vow to keep all military secrets to yourself and not share any information to anyone?"

"I do." The attractive soldier vowed.

Dearka had dark skin and blonde hair. He was what some would call a teenage heartthrob. His chocolaty eyes would melt any girl's heart, well, except Captain Cheyenne Phoenix. She didn't crack no matter how many times he attempted to woo her.

"Cheyenne Phoenix, you have been assigned to the United States Air Force Special Division. Do you swear to uphold your country and your leaders and fight with all your efforts until your dying breath? Furthermore, do you vow to keep all military secrets to yourself and not share any information to anyone?"

"I do." The female officer vowed.

Captain Rau Le Creuset smiled, "Very well then. This concludes our ceremony. Now if you will all be so kind as to follow me. I'll show you to your first assignment.

"Our first assignment? Already?" Dearka whispered to Cheyenne.

She simply left Dearka to himself as she walked away briskly after Creuset. Dearka faltered, "That's so cold!"

"Aww, don't get too worked up over it," a familiar voice laughed behind him, "It's not the end of the world, Dearka."

Dearka turned towards his friend, insulted, "Oh come on Yzak! Just because you get to go out with Jane Caldwell doesn't make you hot stuff!"

Yzak Joule smiled. He had white hair and steel cold blue. His hair was fashionably long and in a bob cut. "Correction, Dearka, it means that I have all the more reason to be considered hot stuff! Now come on! We don't want to miss our first assignment!"

Dearka put his hands in his pockets as he followed his friend, "Yeah, whatever…"

The new USAF Special Division was brought to a large hangar. Once everyone was there, Rau Le Creuset, spoke loudly for everyone, "You have all been chosen because of your elite capabilities! I am going to form you into squadrons and assign you a mobile suit! With these suits, you will be representing United States ingenuity and our cause for Freedom. Do not disappoint us."

Rau began to call off names, and assigned each person a mobile suit and a squadron. Yzak, Dearka, Cheyenne and another pilot named Lance Conners were assigned to one squadron. Dearka high fived Yzak and Lance, but once he reached Cheyenne he was frozen solid instantly.

He turned away, tears streaming down his face, "She's so cold…"

Their momentary celebration was interrupted by Le Creuset, "All right. Now get prepped and ready your mobile suits. We are going out for a test run!"

"Aye Aye, Captain!" The group yelled out unanimously.

Rau Le Creuset watched as everyone prepared, "In order for the Doctor's plan to work, they all need to be ready…"

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Sorry this chapter was so short! All right, so I'm still deciding how to execute Akira's plan, and what that entails. This, with the ever so helpful trait of writer's block, made this chapter slow going. I hope you enjoy anyhow!

Thank you **iCards** for always reviewing! I hope you enjoyed!

Also thank you for anyone else that read this! Please leave a review! Even just one or two lines would be appreciated!

I'll do my best for the next chapter:

Sincerely,

**Vanguarde**


	15. An Atonement of Folly

**Chapter XIV**

**An Atonement of Folly**

Loud bar songs pervaded the air as one particularly large man spilled some of his alcoholic beverage on Kira. Kira sputtered as he looked around, "Wha!"

Kallen laughed as she continued to gamble, "All right boys, read 'em and weep!"

The pirates and smugglers sitting around the table gawked, "What! I can't believe it!"

"That's four games in a row!"

"She's gotta be cheatin'!"

One brawny looking man stood up, "I bet ya got some cards up yer sleeves ya wench!"

Kallen stood and slammed her hands on the table, "NO! I just beat you fair and square! Get over it!"

Kira was becoming uneasy as he watched the scene begin to unfold, "Hey can't we just get along?" he interjected.

One man seized the opportunity and punched Kira, "No!"

This started a massive bar brawl. Kallen started fighting the big brute in front of her, while random thugs and pirates started hitting each other. Kira was pretty much forgotten; he started to stir and crawl away from the fight, hoping that he could get out of it okay, but then someone kicked him. He felt the air get knocked out of him as whoever was hitting him continued their assault. Kira was hurting but he managed to grab the person's leg and bring him down; the only problem was that when the person came down, it wasn't a 'him'. It was a 'her'.

'She' had long blonde hair that was pulled off to one side in a ponytail. Her bright green eyes were surprised to be looking back into Kira's amethyst-colored ones. She was fair skinned and was pretty well built physically. She had one angry looking scar that was visible on her right cheek. She was dressed in a pirate like fashion.

The female thug was surprised that she had been yanked onto her rear end, but as soon as she registered what had happened, she kicked Kira squarely in the face causing him to clutch it in pain. The girl harrumphed and stood up again. She kicked Kira one more time for good measure and turned to her next victim.

Kira had had enough; he stood up as quickly as his body allowed him to. The room started to spin and all he could see were stars. Kira started to walk out of the fight. Whenever someone threw a punch at him he would parry and hit the person back hard. Kira quickly left behind a line of people that had wished they hadn't gotten in his way.

As Kira finally made it to the door, he had remembered that Kallen was still back in that fight, "Oh no, Kallen!"

"What is it?" the red head asked. Kallen was leaning on the wall next to him, not a scratch on her. She smiled, "What happened to you Boy Scout? You look like a train hit you."

Kira was so confused, "How did you? When? What!"

Kallen laughed, grabbing his wrist, "Come on; let's get you out of here."

Kallen dragged Kira out of the bar, a few pirates chasing after them. Kallen smiled back at Kira, "Hurry up Yamato! Otherwise they'll catch us!"

Kira nodded as she dragged him off into the night.

* * *

Kira and Kallen huffed and wheezed as they boarded Miro's airship christened the '_Nova'. _Kallen stuffed Kira into a broom closet as she entered after him, "Hide!"

The two teens were pressed against each other in the small confines. Kira felt Kallen's slim body press up against him, and this caused his pulse to quicken. He was going to say something but she put her hand over his mouth. The two heard footsteps pass the closet and then disappear down the hall. It was only after a few moments that Kallen sighed loudly, "Whew… That was fun, don't you think?"

Kira shook his head as he gulped in air, "Your… definition of fun… is questionable."

Kallen smirked, "Whatever you say Boy Scout!"

She pushed the door open and the two teenagers fell out in a slump. Kallen was on top of Kira, who had fallen prone. She laughed as she stood up, "Come on Yamato, let's get going."

Kira slowly got up, "Yeah…"

Kallen helped Kira to his feet. Kira smiled at Kallen, causing her to blush and look away. The two walked around the Nova together, lost in their own thoughts. Kallen spoke first, "So, how are we going to get into Orb?"

Kira pondered that, "Well, I know someone in the government. I'm hoping they'll take us in and won't hand us over to Russia or China or something…"

Kallen recalled the photo in Kira's album of Representative Atha. But Kira mentioning being handed over to the officials worried her, "Whoah now, you didn't say anything about that before!"

Kira's eyes seemed sad as he spoke, "Well, it's not hard to believe… I mean I did assist Lacus to escape after that whole mix up at the Peace Convention. The Peace Convention that Orb was pushing for so much. I kind of ruined it for them."

Kallen perked her head; she hadn't heard much about what had happened besides the fact that a representative from Avalon attempted to kill the King of Russia and the Empress of China. She also knew that Avalon had been framed by the Shadow Legion to attack the convention. She didn't know Zero's full purposes for all of it. She had just figured it was a job given to them. The Shadow Legion had been hired to attack Avalon. It had been hired to attack the Peace Convention in Avalonite Mobile Suits.

"So what happened?" Kallen asked, somewhat guiltily.

"Well…" Kira started slowly, "Some representative from Avalon was manipulated by Zero to attack the Czar of Russia… of course this made Lacus look like she was at fault so I helped her escape… I mean she was with Athrun. We both trusted Lacus and couldn't believe she could be part of something so horrible."

Kallen didn't understand, "What are you talking about? How could Zero manipulate a man?"

"You mean you don't know?" Kira asked, crestfallen.

"Know what?" Kallen asked steadily.

Kira struggled internally as he thought of how to say what he was thinking. Kallen was about to interrupt his thoughts, now feeling somewhat uncomfortable herself, but Kira continued. "Zero, had… has, a power called Geass; with his power he is able to control peoples' minds. That's what I was told by Doctor Akira anyways…"

Kallen just stared at Kira. He had said two things that had not only confused her, but chilled her to the bones. Kira was staring at her intently, "Kallen? Are you okay?"

She looked down, "I don't know what you are trying to say about Zero… but when did you talk to Doctor Akira?"

Kira was confused by this, "Doctor Akira saved me and leads the Soldiers of Light in the name of stopping Zero and restoring Peace."

Kallen was shaking. Kira was now more than simply concerned, "Kallen?"

She stared at Kira in the eyes, "I was leader of the Zero Squadron for a time. We were ordered by Akira to attack Avalon and the Peace Convention… So why would he be directing the Soldiers of Light if he is already the head of the Shadow Legion?"

Now Kira was confused. The two stood silently in the blue room as they pondered over what they had told one another.

Kira spoke first, "I… so… do you think one of them is lying… and is it Akira? Or Zero? Or maybe… both…"

Kallen felt hollow inside, "_What am I doing here? Why don't I just report back to Zero and bring Kira in?",_ but then she remembered all the times that Kira had thrown himself in danger's way just to save her, _"Did Zero ever do that for me? I mean in a weird roundabout way Zero saved me from Japan, but he's never saved me like Kira has… Kira saved me in Avalon on more than one occasion. He saved me after I stabbed him… He saved me when Able… Ugh…" _

She wasn't able to finish that thought so she went to the next one, _"And… I think Kira is that boy from my childhood. He has the same scars as me and he looks so much like him… He was in Japan at that time…"_

Kallen did her best to make her thoughts cohesive, _"Has Zero been lying to me the entire time? Was he really following Akira's orders? Or was he executing his own will? Is it possible that Akira is manipulating everyone? If that's the case, should I tell Zero? Does he already know? No… I can't go to Zero… because that would be giving Kira up…"_

Kallen's brain hurt as it hurdled through possible scenarios, one after the other. Kira put a hand on her shoulder. Kira smiled, "Everything is okay Kallen. I think I have it figured out."

Kallen seemed surprised, "What do you mean?"

Kira nodded, "I don't believe either the Shadow Legion or the Soldiers of Light have the world's best interests at heart. Think about it. Zero is destroying the bits and pieces of the world at random. He's already destroyed Avalon. And I believe that Akira is using Zero to try to create a Utopia… but I saw Eden… it was… it just didn't feel right. People were assigned jobs by Akira and they did them. In return he gave them food, and shelter. He made an army that is willing to kill as many people as he tells them to, all in the name of Justice and Peace. He controls every aspect of their lives. He's just another dictator. He's just as bad, if not worse than Zero, and it's possible that Akira is using both the Shadow Legion and the Soldiers of Light. It's like I learned in a college class in philosophy. I think Akira wants to use something like the Phoenix Theory."

"What's that?" Kallen questioned.

"It's when you take something that isn't working and you just scrap it all together. The next thing you do is completely reconstruct the platform so that it fits your needs. We also use it in Computer Programming. If something is too broken or corrupted, we simply format the computer and start over." Kira explained.

"So you think that Akira wants to destroy the world as we know it and then recreate it so that it mirrors his idea of a perfect world?" Kallen asked.

Kira nodded his head, "Yeah and it's possible that Zero wants the same thing."

Kallen shook her head, "So what do we do? We can't really fight them unless we convince some nation to fight with us; and let's face it: you and I aren't exactly the most popular people around these days."

Kira frowned, "This is just going to lead to more fighting…"

Kallen's head bowed and looked at the ground. The two sat in silence for some time, but then Kallen turned to Kira, "Maybe Orb will help!"

Kira shook his head, "Orb doesn't get involved with other's affairs. They do not attack any nations, and they do not allow any other nation to attack them. That is the only time they will fight."

Kallen frowned, "Yeah, but maybe this will register as a threat…"

"They won't take any action until their borders are being invaded." Kira whispered.

"That sounds stupid…" Kallen threw her head back and sneered.

Kira's eyes watered, "No… I think that Orb has the best principles of all…"

"So what do we do? Do we roll over and die?" Kallen asked belligerently.

Kira shook his head, "No… I think that if I can convince Athrun to help us, we can get whatever is left of the remnants of Avalon and maybe be able to stop Akira…"

"But you can't exactly waltz back to wherever he is can you?"

"No. He wants me dead. So I'm hoping that when we get to Orb I can send Athrun an encrypted message or something."

Kallen head dropped, "So much for happy feelings."

Kira looked up through the window and at all the lights of the Pirate Island, "Someday… someday we won't have to lose those happy feelings. Maybe there's a future where we can all be happy… and we can all be free. That's what I'm fighting for..."

Kallen looked up at Kira, surprised by what he had said. She blushed as she rested her head on his shoulder, "You really are a Boy Scout, ya know that?"

Kira smiled and rested his head on hers as the two looked towards the city's lights.

* * *

Lacus looked out of the shuttle's window as it was entering the earth's atmosphere. They were approaching Avalon. Her home, the one she had left behind to be ravaged by war and abused by other nations. Now she was going to sacrifice herself for it. This was her atonement for her sin.

Lacus looked over towards a man dressed in all white that sat in the chair across from her. He was a tall man. He had dark skin and platinum blonde hair. He had a hard face that seemed to have been tainted with hate. His eyes were a hard pale blue. He turned to look back at her, "Is there something wrong, your majesty?"

Lacus shook her head, "No… You just seem very sad. What is your name?"

If the man was surprised or offended by her statement, he made no signs showing it. His hard exterior remained the same as he answered her question, "My name is Cain."

The normally giddy and excited Lacus was so worn down and tired that she couldn't even smile, "It's nice to meet you Cain."

"Are you afraid?" Cain asked her bluntly.

Lacus seemed confused, "Afraid of what?"

"It is highly possible that you could be killed."

Lacus didn't flinch at all but matched his gaze steadily, "It doesn't really matter at this point. I have already failed my people and so the most I can do for them is make the transition as painless as possible. Besides… if the Soldier's of Light prevail and the Doctor's plan works then the people of Avalon will be liberated. I can do this one small thing for them if it means they can be free; that they can be happy…"

Cain sat staring at her intently for a few moments and then actually broke into a small grin, "I honor you then for your selfless ambition. I see no fear in you or in your conviction."

Lacus turned to face the window, "There's no point in fear…"

Cain returned to sit in his original position. "We will see…"

* * *

Athrun Zala sat alone, in his dark room, with his head in his hands. There was a knock at the door. His hoarse voice answered, "Come in…"

The door slid open, allowing Meer to walk in. She fumbled for the light switch so that she could see him. As the light flipped on, Athrun squinted but did not move from his spot on the bed. Meer stepped forward in front of Athrun, "Athrun? Where is Lacus? What's wrong?"

Athrun turned to face her, his eyes red and puffy from crying, "Lacus… she…" He had to clear his throat, which only made it hurt worse, "She… She is gone."

"What?" Meer gasped, "Where is she? Where did she go?"

Athrun wrung his hands out, "Well, she is giving herself up to the Russian Government. The Soldiers of Light are to be the mediators. This is supposed to cause a massive controversy. There will be many from Avalon that will want to her to pay for their misery. There will be others that will demand she be set free and placed at the head of Avalon's government again. Russia will make its move… according to Akira… The King of Russia will have her executed. It is however a possibility he will only imprison her. The next stage of the plan would be for the Soldiers of Light to rally together the cause of freedom in Avalon, using Lacus' imprisonment or death as the focal point. They will defeat the Russian Army and re-take Avalon and her bordering states, taking away Russia's satellite nations. The Shadow Legion will intervene and Zero will come to fight the Soldiers of Light. We will kill him in battle then. Akira believes that Zero will have taken control of both Russia and China by then. This means that the two countries will be left leaderless, and the Soldiers of Light will take over through military intervention. Avalon will be safe, and Zero's breeding grounds will be destroyed… There will be unity throughout the land..."

Meer didn't seem surprised but decided to test Athrun, "Do you think that Akira has really thought all of that out? That far ahead?"

Athrun nodded his head to answer her question, "I only told you the gist of it though. I had to sit through the whole briefing with Lacus..." He stared at his hands disbelievingly, "I just thought… we would have more time…"

Athrun was visibly shaking. Meer had compassion on him, kneeling down and hugging him, "Everything will be okay, Athrun. Lacus will be okay. You'll see. The Doctor knows what he's doing."

Athrun looked up at her, "What if he doesn't!"

Meer recoiled from him but then raised her voice as well, "The doctor is going to kill Zero! I know he will! Suzaku promised! That mean's Daddy will be avenged!"

"What about Lacus! What if she is killed?"Athrun yelled, standing suddenly.

"That doesn't matter! All that matters is that we stop Zero!" Meer yelled back coldly.

Athrun couldn't believe his ears, but he also couldn't believe his eyes. Meer's eyes seemed off. He didn't know what to say.

Meer simply glared at him. "The Doctor knows how to fix everything! You'll see!" and with that Meer ran out of Athrun's room.

Athrun stood planted to that spot, "What is going on?" Athrun wondered aloud.

* * *

In the morning Kira awoke inside his cot on the Airship _Nova. _He got up and threw on a jacket. As Kira wandered through the halls he could hear some commotion from the mess hall. Kira walked in to see everyone huddled around the television.

"Ha! That pink haired Princess ain't going to live through the night!" One man laughed.

"I can't believe she was daft enough to go back to a Russian controlled Avalon. What is she thinking?"

Kira approached one of the men, "Hey, what's going on?"

The man barely turned his head away from the screen, "That Princess from Avalon came back… she's going to give a speech from the Castle. Supposedly the Russian government is waiting outside and threatening her to come out. They'll probably storm the place in a moment. Oh wait! Here she is!"

Kira turned to face the screen. It was Lacus Clyne giving a message from the Royal Court of Avalon. Kira became engrossed as she started to speak calmly and clearly. As Kira studied her, he could tell that she hadn't had much sleep, and yet she still seemed confident, and she was still beautiful, albeit hauntingly.

Lacus addressed the viewers, "Hello my friends. I am Lacus Clyne… I know that I have been away for some time, and during that time, my beloved nation has fallen to the rash and opportunistic Kingdom of Russia. I left you, Avalon, alone to be tarnished and ravished by an angry oppressor. For this, I am truly sorry." Genuine tears formed in her eyes as she continued, but her voice remained strong and resolute,

"It was not my intention to allow such atrocities to occur. I must say that I was as shocked, and as angered, as everyone else was by the actions taken by Baron Grenfeld and other anti-peace forces. They were not acting in accordance with the Royal Government of Avalon and in no means were affiliated with me or the general populace of Avalon."

"I am quite aware that this means nothing to my aggressors, and you are all wondering where I have been these last few weeks. I was taken, for security measures, to the Space Station Camelot, an outpost that belongs to Avalon. I was to remain there until the situation was ascertained and a reasonable outcome could be established. Before this could occur, the station was attacked by the mercenary group that assaulted Avalon three days prior to the Peace Convention. These mercenaries are known as the Shadow Legion."

At Lacus' words, all the pirates were getting restless. Kira supposed it was because these pirates had close ties to the Shadow Legion. Kira focused on Lacus' speech again.

"The Shadow Legion is a devious and heartless organization that belongs to a sinister and evil man, known only as Zero. This body of lawless brutes is against peace and, as I believe, is the cause of the current war."

"The Space Station Camelot, would have been overrun by these brigands, had another advent group have come to our rescue. These men and women are part of an independent unit, known as the Soldiers of Light. These soldiers are fighting tirelessly to stop the Shadow Legion and all that align with them… all ready, good men have died in this pointless fighting…"

Lacus tears continued to stream as she continued to speak, "Brothers and Sisters, please listen, I would like to give myself up and pay for the crimes that Baron Grenfeld and other anti-peace terrorists have comitted. I shall stand on trial for those that were in my presence. I am responsible for them… I shall stand on trial in front of the world and if it is meant to be, I shall die… for my country. All I ask is that Avalon remains Avalon. That the people that reside within these borders keep their freedoms and not become a conquered bordering state of the Russian government or any other nation."

"To those that I have hurt and to those that feel betrayed by me… I am truly sorry. The country of Avalon is not a conquered state, but it is a sovereign nation. It shall no longer be ruled by me, but the crown shall pass on to my sister, Meer Campbell Clyne. The Royal Army is no longer in service, due to its decimation by the Russian Government, but now the Soldiers of Light shall be the sword that God has given this country. All Russian forces are to leave the borders of this land, or it shall be taken as an act of war and your forces shall be decimated… It pains me to speak these words, so please, heed them…"

"I speak to all the inhabitants of this beautiful Earth; please… do your best to serve one another. Love one another and respect one another… as you serve each other, you shall find that there is nothing as fulfilling or as inspiring as this. You shall learn more about the people around you… you will find out more about everyone on this earth… as you continue this practice wars will cease, and ill will shall be minimized… Avalon… you can rebuild yourself. Be strong and of a good courage… seek truth and love; everything else will fall into place. You shall be a strong people again."

"I am now ready to turn myself over to the governments of the world. The Kingdom of Russia shall hold me. I pass the power of the crown over to my sister. She shall rule in my stead. Upon my being taken by the Russian Army, the Soldiers of Light shall direct the defense of this nation… please… Andrey Petrov, and all leaders of other nations… please, do not prolong the fighting. Leave peaceably. This is all I can say. Good bye."

Lacus turned away from the podium and walked out of the view of the camera. Kira couldn't believe his ears. He stood there dumbly, "Lacus…"

Kira was awakened by Kallen's hand patting his shoulder, "Hey Boy Scout! What's goin' on?"

Kira turned to face her, "Lacus just turned herself over to the Russian Government and the Soldiers of Light are now the official army of Avalon… This means… Akira controls Avalon and is using Meer as a symbol… is that really going to work?"

Kallen seemed lost, "Wait, what?"

Kira's face was serious, "I think something big is about to happen… Akira doesn't want peace. He wants war. But why would he want that, and on such a large scale…"

Kallen was surprised at Kira's musing and was lost her self, "Kira? What do you mean?"

Kira looked around at the pirates once and then grabbed her wrist, "Let's talk about it elsewhere."

And with that he led her away…

* * *

Athrun watched the television and that's when he snapped, indignation filling his whole being, "I can't do this. I'm sorry Lacus, but I have to break my promise to you."

Athrun stood up and donned his flight suit. He exited his room and made his way down a series of halls when he was cut off by a group of men in white suits; Suzaku was in the lead.

"Where are you going Athrun? You're not authorized to fly right now." Suzaku asked nonchalantly.

Athrun grimaced, "Get out of the way Kururugi."

Suzaku's face was the image of pure disdain, "No."

Athrun snarled, "Enough clowning around! How many lives do you think Akira is going to end now! This is only going to start a World War and I will not allow Lacus to throw her life away for such a stupid cause!"

Suzaku raised a pistol into the air, training it on Athrun's torso, "Stupid cause? It is a Just Cause that will burn the wicked and leave only the pure. Lacus has become the first martyr of this great movement in history. She is our sacrifice for a perfect world. The doctor thought you would have problems with this so he bugged your room and has been monitoring you. I'm in charge of making sure you don't leave here anytime soon."

Athrun froze in his place, glaring at Suzaku, "What! You useless puppet! How long are you going to let Akira pull your strings!"

Suzaku cocked the safety off, "How long will you allow Lacus to pull yours. What is she to you anyways? She's no longer the Princess of Avalon. Your duty as knight protector has been fulfilled. Just give up all ready and stop this nonsense… I'd hate to kill you."

The two former knights stared into each other's eyes, both relentless, and undaunted by the other. The remaining Soldier's of Light drew their sub-machine guns and turned off their safeties. They all trained their weapons on Athrun.

Suzaku spoke, his words hissing forth like ice, "Athrun Zala, rebel to the Cause of Light, we hereby arrest you on the charge of treason against the inhabitants of the Pillar of Heaven. Please come quietly or we will execute you on the spot."

Athrun knew he wouldn't be able to survive a fight, but he couldn't give up either, "Fine, have it you away Kururugi."

Athrun raised both his hands in the air. Suzaku motioned two soldiers to deal with him. As one neared him with bracers Athrun sprung into action grabbing the nearest man and turning him around using him as a human shield.

All the soldiers raised their guns, but Suzaku held his hand up to stop them from firing, "Really Athrun? Do you think something as childish as a human shield will stop us?"

The nearest guard was attempting to encircle Athrun, but Athrun knew better, "No one move or this man dies!"

Suzaku smiled evilly, "It's of little consequence. Now choose Athrun, come quietly or die."

Athrun could tell that Suzaku wasn't bluffing. The pure malice and hate in the boy's eyes were too real. Athrun gave in and let go of the soldier. The soldier hobbled back to the others as the nearest man hit Athrun to the ground. A number of soldiers came forward and restrained blue haired teen.

One soldier grabbed Athrun by his hair and yanked his head back hard so that his face was visible to Suzaku's. Suzaku's countenance was one of pacification, "Good. Take this devil to Hell where he belongs."

The soldiers all rang out in reply, "Yes sir!"

Athrun screamed, at Suzaku, as he was being dragged away, "You'll pay for this you traitor! Is this how you repay Siegel Clyne! By selling off his daughter to a madman! Gah! You'll pay for this!"

Suzaku smiled as he turned around, "So much for the brave and valiant Athrun Zala, former Knight Protector of the Avalon Crown."

* * *

Zero smiled inwardly as he stood before Andrey Petrov, "Tell me, your Majesty… what do you think about this new predicament?"

The King of Russia was practically lifeless as he spoke to Zero, "I think of nothing other than what you tell me to think, my Liege…"

Zero laughed, "Good. You shall bring Lacus Clyne here. I would like to speak with her."

Andrey bowed, "Yes, my Liege."

"Oh and Petrov? Tell no one of me. You are acting upon your own initiative."

"Yes, my liege." And with that Czar Petrov left the room with his bodyguards.

Zero sat in the large and very comfortable chair crossing his legs, "Well that went better than I had hoped for. Now, Akira, let us see how you react. Ha, ha, ha, ha! I will use the curse of Geass that you bestowed upon me, Akira, and destroy you!" Zero threw his head back and laughed manically.

* * *

Lacus stepped outside, Cain by her side. Cain spoke to her as Russian soldiers came forward to take her, "God speed, Princess. We will see how all of this turns out."

Lacus seemed surprised by this, "Do you not have faith in Akira's plan?"

Cain shook his head, "Lady Lacus, I am a pragmatist. Until the mission has been fulfilled to its fullest I will not hope for anything. I can only do."

Lacus smiled warmly, "Well I guess it's time for me to go then…"

"Farewell, Princess."

Lacus turned back, smiling halfheartedly, "I'm not a princess anymore… Do you believe me to be a martyr… or perhaps a saint? I hear a lot of Sols calling me by those titles now…"

Cain shook his head again, "Did I not tell you… I do not look at those superficial things. You are you. You love your people and are willing to do anything for them. I admire you for that… That is all."

Lacus looked down, "I see. Thank you Cain."

He nodded and stepped away from the leery Russian soldiers. Lacus allowed them to cuff her and lead her into an armored vehicle. Lacus looked up at the sky one more time, not sure of what would happen to her, not sure if she would ever see the sky again. New tears formed in her eyes, "I'm so sorry Athrun…"

A black bag was thrown over Lacus' head, blocking out all of her sight as she was stuffed into the armored vehicle. The last thing Lacus heard was a large clang as the metal doors shut.

* * *

The Nova's intercom system came alive as the Captain, Miro, spoke, "All right all! We are we about to depart for the Orb Union! All hands to your stations! All hands to your stations!"

Kira looked to Kallen, "Where do we go?"

"We don't have to be anywhere. We're not really part of the crew."

"I see…" Kira said numbly. The two sat idly not knowing what to say to the other.

Kallen stood and stretched, "Well!" She relaxed and turned away from Kira, "I guess we can't do much about all of it."

Kira shook his head, "No. I can save Lacus."

Kallen spun around quickly in surprise, "Say wha-! But what about going to Orb and laying low? What about meeting your parents?"

Kira sighed, "I can't just leave Lacus like that; especially since Akira is behind all of this. It won't end well for her."

Kallen felt a tinge of envy she wasn't expecting to feel, "But she's halfway across the world right now, and in Russian custody! How do you expect to find her?"

Kira shrugged, "I'll figure it out. Do you think Miro will take us to Russia instead?"

Kallen felt her frustration rising, "Kira! Going to the peaceful nation of Orb is one thing! But going all the way to Russia in the middle of what may become a war! Are you crazy? I thought you didn't like fighting?"

Kira's amethyst colored eyes looked deep into Kallen's causing her to blush. He smiled warmly, "It'll be all right Kallen. We just have to save my friend and then we can go to Orb."

Kallen was enamored by his smile but then the words sank in. Her eyes squinted as her rage started to become more apparent, "Yamato! We can't fight Akira by ourselves!"

"That's why we're recruiting Lacus. She may be able to get good people to help us stop Akira and Zero." Kira responded matter-of-factly.

Kallen sat down, folded her arms and crossed her legs, "Fine. I'm not helping you then."

Kira's eyes registered the hurt, "Oh… okay. Well, just go to Orb. Tell Representative Atha about the time we all went down to the Summer Home and Cagalli got caught almost kissing Athrun and how mortified she was. Tell him that I sent you and that I want you to be protected. Could you do that for me?"

"Why should I do anything for you?" Kallen scowled.

Kira felt the hurt well up even more, "Okay… I'm sorry for bothering you then. I'm leaving."

Kallen was completely enraged; she was hoping Kira would have backed down when she had shown him how resolute she was against the idea, "What are you going to do all by yourself?"

Kira shrugged before he disappeared up a flight of stairs, "Give this my best shot."

Kallen felt her knees go weak, "Why are you leaving me?" Kallen stood quietly, pondering over what had just transpired.

* * *

Kira made his way to the hangar. His heart hurt so badly, but he needed to save Lacus and stop Akira before it was too late. He had the power to do that.

"What the hell is Athrun doing? Maybe he's in trouble too…" Kira mumbled to himself.

Kira made his way to the Freedom when that female pirate that had kicked him back at the bar jumped in his way. She flipped her hair behind her back and glared at Kira, "And where do you think you're off to?"

Kira was surprised and stared at her dumbly, "Hey, you're that girl that kicked me back at the bar."

She seemed surprised but then registered what Kira had said. She glared, "You're the guy that pulled me down to the ground!"

Kira stared at her disbelieving, "Only because you decided it'd be fun to kick the crud out of me."

She pointed at him angrily, "Oh man up! You should be able to take a few kicks!"

Kira shook his head, "Whatever, sorry for the fight earlier. Now please step aside."

She shook her head, "No way! No one is allowed to leave this hangar unless Miro says so!"

Kira stood his ground, "Look, I have to leave to help a friend. Please just get out of my way."

She put her hands on her hips, "No! I follow Miro's orders to the letter! If he says no one is getting off this ship, then no one is getting off this ship!"

Kira sighed, "I see. Well sorry then but I have to get past you."

Kira dashed forward towards the girl. She braced herself and threw out a kick. Kira slid on his knees evading her lethal kick. The girl was surprised but by the time she turned around, Kira was already sprinting towards the Freedom. He jumped into the seat and closed the cockpit. She was chasing after him, but as soon as the cockpit started to close she ran for the intercom.

She punched a number of buttons furiously, "Lilith to the bridge! Lilith to the Bridge! Seal the hangar off! One of the passengers is trying to escape!"

Lilith turned to see the other passenger's mobile suit moving as well. It was the other Gundam unit that Kallen had brought. Lilith yelled into the intercom, "Both of them are leaving!"

Meanwhile, on the bridge, Miro was fuming, "What the hell is Stadfeldt doing? First she asks for a ride and now she is trying to get off? Does she know I was going to bring her to Zero? Hmm, well Lilith stop them!"

Lilith glared at the intercom, "Thanks for the help you oaf!"

Meanwhile the Freedom and the Noir broke off their restraints. Kira hailed the Noir, "Kallen! Is that you!"

Kallen's face appeared on his screen, "Yeah… just don't leave me like that again! I'm going to kick your scrawny hide the next time you try to!"

Kira smiled, "Kallen… I'm sorry."

Kallen shook her head, "No, I'm sorry for not listening to you. You helped me, now I can help you. Let's do this!"

Kira smiled, "Right."

The Freedom's Hip mounted rail guns pointed towards the hangar doors and fired. The shrapnel tore through the doors causing a loud explosion. The dust cleared almost instantaneously as the room pressurized to match the outside atmosphere.

The Freedom blasted forward and hurtled out of the Nova's hangar. Kallen let out a whoop as her Strike Noir followed.

Luckily for Lilith she had boarded her Super Zaku Mk II; it was custom designed using technology obtained only on the black market. She activated her suit, its one eye coming to life and launched the MS outside to stop the Noir and Freedom.

Kira noticed the suit and looked at his back camera. The Zaku was different from others. It was a silver color with gold ornate trimming. It had a short barreled gun and what appeared to be two beam sabers. The shields covered both the shoulders and there were missile pods on the back. It appeared to have some different kind of boosters that allowed it flight capability.

The Super Zaku let off a few shots of its beam scattergun. Lilith cursed, "I will not let you make a fool of me!"

The Freedom danced in between the incoming rays of light with ease, the Strike Noir, however, had a harder time of evading. Kallen glared, "Geez, can't you give a girl a break Miro?"

Miro hailed the two escapees, "I see Ms. Stadfeldt. You found out I was going to deliver you up to Zero. You're cunning is incredible."

Kallen was taken aback, "What are you talking about?"

Miro smiled, "Well I thought it odd. The Shadow Legion announced you dead and here you are flirting with some new guy that isn't Shadow Legion material. I figured you defected so I was bringing you back to Zero. Either way, I would be rewarded handsomely!" Miro flipped his long raven hair and laughed as if he had actually done something intelligent.

Kallen sighed, "You're such a creep and such an idiot."

"Creep! Idiot! Lilith, kill those scandalous dogs! Kill them now!" Miro yelled, insulted.

Lilith engaged the Freedom and Noir, "He may be an idiot! But he's my idiot!"

The Super Zaku fired off its scattergun again, attempting to hit one of her two opponents. She locked onto the Freedom with her missiles, "Eat this!"

The missiles all flew out at once zooming towards the Freedom. Kira reacted swiftly, "I don't want to fight you! Stop!"

The Freedom lowered its plasma cannons, raised its rail guns and steadied its beam rifle. In almost inhuman speed Kira locked onto individual missiles and began to fire into the wall of death. In a matter of merely three seconds he had destroyed each and every missile that had threatened to pursue him.

Lilith had anticipated this and had used the opportunity to get in close and fire with her scatter gun. Kira reacted instantaneously, raising the Freedom's shield to deflect the emerald pellets.

The Noir charged the Zaku with its anti-ship blade, "Stay away from Kira!"

The Noir swung, but the Zaku was able to flip backward and evade the swing. Lilith only then realized the difference in power between her mobile suit and theirs, "So this is the power of a G-weapon. I have to make Miro get me one."

Lilith boosted back and shot off another round of her scattergun. The Noir had no way to evade, but the Freedom interposed itself in front of the beams and defended the Noir with its shield.

"Are you okay, Kallen?"

"Yeah, thanks." Kallen replied. The Noir put its sword away and pulled out its shorty blasters firing past the Freedom, pushing the Zaku back.

Lilith cursed, "Miro, I can't overpower them! Will you give me some back up?"

Miro growled, "Very well, retreat back a few meters. All weapons prepare to fire!"

Miro hailed Kallen and smiled, "Guess what? I'm going to blow you and your boyfriend out of the sky! You'll both burn up and die! Ha, ha, ha, ha!"

Kira glared, "Listen captain Miro! Do not engage us! I don't want to fight anyone unless I have to! I will not hesitate to disarm you if you continue!"

Miro laughed, "Big words! You'll engage a combat class airship with only two mobile suits?"

Kira didn't want to fight but Miro wasn't listening, "I said stop it!"

A seed burst open in Kira's mind's eye. The Freedom flew above the Airship and targeted all the weapon systems that were on the top of the ship. Bright beams of emerald, ruby and streams of yellow poured out over the airship Nova. Kira continued his barrage until he saw trails of smoke pouring out from the weapon ports. He stopped firing and the Freedom rocketed off, back towards the Noir.

Lilith merely watched as the Nova was neutered, "Damn… hasn't this kid heard of moderation?"

Miro was too shocked for words as his ship was defeated by one mobile suit. He slumped back in his chair, "How is this possible!"

"Cap'n! We'll have to land the ship! 80% of the weapon ports are completely destroyed. Also parts of the engine have been damaged. We won't be able to maintain our altitude very long." One pirate relayed.

Miro slammed his fist on his chair, "Damn! How were we beaten so easily!"

Lilith hailed Miro, "We need to pull out now, Miro honey. Let's get back to Zankhala, and get us a G-weapon of our own."

Miro began to cry pathetically, "Damn you Stadfeldt!"

* * *

Able continued to search for Kira using his long range scanning device. It was then that he finally picked it up, the Freedom's GPS signal. It had been lost due to the interference of the pirate island. Able smiled, "I see! I've found you at last! I knew you wouldn't be able to hide on that pirate island forever! It's time to kill you!"

Abel's Sadist Gundam activated and cut through the water until it penetrated the surface; the water spraying everywhere like a geyser.

The Sadist Gundam was black, with red veins of energy flowed freely through the Gundam. It had horns like a devil with two red eyes. The wings of the Sadist doubled as anti-ship swords. It had a chest mounted Plasma cannon with two hip rail guns and dual beam rifles. There were also two more plasma cannons that were mounted on its back that could fold and unfold. The mobility and power of the Sadist Gundam matched the Freedom and it was run on nuclear energy as well.

The Sadist soared towards his prey, glad to finally be on the hunt again.

* * *

Kira frowned, "So Kallen?"

"Yeah?" She replied nonchalantly.

"So… what made you decide to come with me?"

Kallen was silent for a few moments, pondering the question, but then she answered, "Well… I told you, Kira, you've helped me a lot. You were always there for me and you've been a good friend. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't help you out the one time you asked me too?"

Kira smiled, "Thank you Kallen."

Kallen tried to play it off, "No worries, besides, I couldn't have my Boy Scout trying to take on the whole world by himself, could I?"

Kira smiled again, this time tears starting to form, "Thank you… so very much." He wiped them away and stifled his stirring emotions, "So, how are we going to get to Russia? At first I was going to go to space and then re-enter the atmosphere, but I don't think the Noir is capable of that, is it?"

Kallen shook her head, "No, the Strike Noir has a limited operation time and can't exit the atmosphere by itself. I can maintain noncombat flight for a couple hours before I'll need to recharge again, but we won't get anywhere quickly."

Kira nodded, "We may be able to settle down in Saudi Arabia, and then continue from there to Russia."

Kallen was shocked at the audacity behind Kira's remark, "Saudi Arabia, isn't that country not very friendly to any outside nations or foreigners; especially world-class criminals?"

Kira nodded, "Saudi Arabia was one of the few countries that did not attend the World Peace Convention, and they don't care about the world's politics. So long as you don't encroach upon their territory, they shouldn't harm you."

Kallen shook her head, "So how are we going to get inside Saudi Arabia, let alone be able to charge my batteries?"

Kira smiled, "Well, I have a friend that is actually from there. I sent him an encrypted message telling him what we need. He'll probably contact me in two hours or so and then I'll decipher his message. I'm banking that he'll get everything we need."

Kallen was surprised, "How are you so confident about this?"

"Well," Kira stated, "He's the one of the Princes of Saudi Arabia; Farid Ka'Arabia."

Kallen nearly fell out of her seat, "How do you know a prince of Saudi Arabia?"

Kira smiled, "He goes to Orb University. He's at home right now for this semester so I'm sure he'll get my message."

"How are you so sure? And how do you know he'll be able to decipher your message?"

"Well," Kira replied softly, "He's one of the most brilliant computer analysts I know."

"Great," Kallen sighed, "Another nerd…"

"Hey!" Kira retorted as Kallen laughed at his reaction.

The two laughed together, but then it was as if Kira felt something coming. The Freedom boosted and kicked the Noir out of the way, just in time for a red beam to pass right where the Noir had been flying.

Kallen grinded her teeth as she regained control of her mobile suit, "What the hell just happened Kira?"

Kira turned the Freedom around and zoomed in his camera on the upcoming enemy. Kira could barely make out a black mobile suit with red lines that pulsed, giving off an unsettling aura, in the distance. It was as if a devil were flying towards them. Then Abel's voice came in through an open line, "Hello, Yamato! Stadfeldt! I'm glad I've found you! Now it's time to die!"

The Sadist Gundam boost forward, bearing its weapons down on the Freedom and the Noir. Kira gritted his teeth, "Kallen, stay back! I'll deal with him!"

"Tch!" Kallen replied, "Like hell you are! I have a score to settle with this creep!"

And with that Kira and Kallen prepared to fight Abel once more.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Well, Sorry I went on another hiatus. I'll be more dilligent with getting more chapters up! I'll see what I can do with my spare time. Work has been kind of crazy, as has my personal life. Anyways, I'm sorry for not updating for two weeks...

I hope this chapter makes sense. I am doing my best and hope you will all enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Please review!

**Vanguarde**


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